Equinox
by masilveywrites
Summary: Holly is a druidess, from a long line of Welsh druidesses. Her grandmother, Lily, teaches her the craft when she is very young to counteract an evil druidess, Rose - Lily's daughter and Holly's mother. But when Lily passes can Holly defeat her mother and find someone to perform the ancient ritual with before the Vernal Equinox?


I own this story. I hope you enjoy it! But please don't steal it! Thank you!

Equinox

A novel by

Melissa Silvey

Preface

Druids have existed in Britain, Ireland, Wales, and what we now call France since time began. They worship nature, and practice what we now call magic and fortune telling. They were priests, prophets, and were said to have mystical powers. They built Stonehenge and other temples to display their powers and worship their gods and goddesses.

One druid, Ceridwen, was said to be the wisest and the most powerful. She was a great sorceress who had powers beyond belief. She could change shape at will. She could control nature and the weather. And she could foresee the future.

Her daughter had dazzling beauty; an enchantress with hair as red as fire and eyes as green as emeralds. She carried on her mother's beliefs and rituals, passing her powers onto her daughter, and then her daughter, throughout time until the present.

There are druids still today, and the descendants of Ceridwen herself are among the most powerful.

Chapter One

Holly jumped and woke herself up again. Her eyes popped wide open, and she looked around her tiny bedroom. It was dark outside, but inside her room she'd left a light on. She wasn't afraid of the dark, she reasoned with herself a million times, she just didn't like to wake up in the middle of the night and feel unsure of her surroundings. She hated that feeling.

The angle of her bed was perfect to see out the small space between the blind and the windowpane, and she stared out that slither at the sky. The full round moon stared back at her in a sinister way, and she knew the dream she'd just had would come true.

She pushed at the clothes at the bottom of her bed with her feet, reminding herself that yet again she "forgot" to clean her bedroom. She laid in her bed looking at the moon for nearly half an hour, watching it move slightly to the left. Her bed faced north, which she didn't plan; like everything else in her life.

She watched the full moon, and tried not to think about her dream. She knew it was almost the vernal equinox, there was a full moon, and her grandmother was dead. She waited for her cell phone to ring for an hour, and when it didn't she tried to go back to sleep. Perhaps they just hadn't found her yet, or perhaps she hadn't passed away yet. Or maybe Holly was just being foolish. She kicked the clothes at the bottom of her bed until she heard them fall off onto the floor and snuggled deeper into her pillows. She couldn't get the idea of the moon watching her out of her head. She closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

Holly awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She didn't sleep well at all the night before, and she was too tired to even look at the caller ID on her phone.

"Hello?" Her voice was groggy as she looked outside the slither of window to see the sun was now high in the sky. It must be almost noon, and it was a beautiful late winter day in West Virginia.

"Grandma's dead." Her sister Ivy's voice was rough from spent tears. Ivy was the emotional one; she felt every emotion stronger than most people. Which was the total opposite of Holly; she felt almost nothing at all. That was only one of the many ways they were different.

Holly had to restrain herself from telling her sister about her dream. "How?" Holly did not cry, or go into hysterics. She was as calm as if Ivy had told her the weather forecast was sunny for the day, it was something she already knew.

"She had a heart attack in the middle of the night," Ivy informed her. "Mom went upstairs to check on her this morning when she didn't come down for breakfast, and found her in bed as peaceful as if she was still asleep. She even had a smile on her face."

Holly remembered her dream vividly, so strongly her heart hurt. "_I've moved on_," her grandmother told her, "_And it's time you've moved on as well_."

"Are you coming over to mom's," Ivy asked her. The question was asked hesitantly, and Holly knew why. She and her mom were not getting along. Holly shook her head. She and her mom had never got along.

"Sure." Holly didn't sound sure.

"Okay, I'm in the car on my way over there now. I'll see you when you get there," and then the call dropped.

Holly got out of bed and walked the few steps toward her small bathroom. She tried to get her grandmother's voice out of her head as she looked down at the dirty clothes strewn across her bathroom floor, and then to the empty clothes hamper. She shook her head, telling herself she wouldn't think about her apartment right now. Then she turned on the shower. She stared in the mirror for all of three seconds, hating her long red hair and her bright green eyes. Talking to her sister reminded her of just how different they were.

She climbed in the shower and thought of Ivy. Holly and Ivy looked nothing like sisters. They went to the same schools, seven years apart, and none of their teachers ever asked if she was Ivy's sister. They had no reason to ask, as they didn't even have the same last name. Ivy was gorgeous, tall enough to be a model with dark brown hair and light hazel eyes. Ivy looked exotic; her skin always looked tan, her makeup was always perfect, and her hair was always fashionably cut and styled. Ivy looked just like their mother, Rose, who was also a knockout when she was younger.

Holly was told her whole life she looked just like her father, although she never met him, in a derogatory way that let her know just how Rose felt about her father. And although she never met her father she had a hard time believing it, especially when she looked into her grandmother's faded green eyes. Her grandmother's hair was always dyed platinum blonde, but when the roots started to show through Holly wondered at times if they weren't as red as her own.

Ivy's father died in Viet Nam, as Rose told it. He was gorgeous and tall like Ivy, she would say. Ivy had her father's surname, Waters: Ivy Summer Waters. Since Rose didn't marry Holly's father, Holly had her mother's maiden name: Holly Winter Frost. Why Rose had to give Holly such a ridiculous name, and why she couldn't just name her Waters as that was also Rose's name was beyond Holly, and one of their many points of contention.

Where Ivy was tall, nearly 5'11", Holly was barely 5'2". Ivy looked like she was constantly in the sun. Holly's skin was as white as porcelain. Holly had way too much breasts and hips to be fashionable when most models and actresses weighed less than 120 pounds at nearly 6 feet tall. Ivy was fit and athletic.

Holly finished her shower and dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt. She didn't wait for her hair to dry, put on any make up, or even brush her long red hair. She just pulled it into a bun and secured it with an elastic band, then walked into her tiny living room.

She had very little furniture, and what she had was either bought at a discount store or a yard sale. Cups sat in her sink unwashed, evidence that she rarely cooked or ate there. The window over her sink faced the parking lot of the apartment complex, and the pale yellow curtains that hung there had never been washed. Magazines cluttered the top of her entertainment center, and unopened mail sat on the kitchen table beside her computer.

The only thing in the apartment that was worth anything was her computer; even her TV was 10 years old and practically an antique. She didn't care. She thought it worked as well as the new big screen TVs.

The only thing she really cared about was her pet birds. She had two beautiful white parrots, and two blue parakeets. She would sit their cages on the table when she was on her computer and talk to them. Sometimes they even talked back. She fed them quickly, and made sure they had water. She would have to clean their cages later that night, she didn't have time now.

She looked at the corduroy brown couch that was left from the previous tenant. It was faded and dirty, and smelled like baby powder. Her work clothes still lay there, where she had taken them off the previous night. She picked them up and took them with her, not knowing if she'd be home in time to dress and get back to work at the restaurant where she did a little of everything. Tonight she didn't have to work until 5. She walked outside, and from the way the sun hung in the sky it had to be almost 1 pm.

Her apartment was on the first floor, and although she had nothing worth stealing but her computer she locked her door anyway. She didn't want anyone taking her birds. It took her about three steps to make it to her car, which was even older than her TV. By sheer luck and willpower the car still ran every time she turned the key. She threw her clothes into the passenger seat, on top of fast food bags that had been there for at least a week, and drove toward her mother's house in Winfield.

Winfield was a quiet, small town. McDonald's had only put a restaurant there three years before. When Holly was growing up there was nothing to do except ride her bike to the ice cream shop on the other end of town. The library was even in the next town over, which was too far for Holly to ride. Rose Waters had lived there with her mother since Ivy's father died in the war.

Rose was an only child, as was her mother Lily. And although Lily had been married five times, and been widowed five times, she'd only had a child with her first husband, who was part Cherokee Indian. Holly assumed that was how Rose and Ivy got their beautiful sun kissed complexions. He died during World War II.

It took Holly more than half an hour to drive from Charleston to Winfield, and the entire time she dreaded it. But when she pulled up to Rose's immaculate home she actually felt relieved. She parked her beat up primer and rust colored station wagon behind her sister's brand new yellow Chevy and closed the door.

She walked past her mother's silver sedan parked in the drive way, over the ½" high lawn to the front door. The house was brick, split level with a small front porch just like all the other houses on the street. Rose changed the decorations with the seasons, and a brightly colored flag with kites fluttered in the wind beside the front steps.

She didn't knock, she just walked in. Ivy saw her first, and ran to her with tears gleaming in her hazel eyes and hugged her. Ivy dwarfed her, making her feel like an ugly gnome. For several seconds Holly's arms hung down at her sides, unsure if she wanted to hug her sister or not. The last time she saw Ivy, she was calling the cops on Holly's ex-boyfriend. They broke up right afterwards. Holly didn't really care about him anyway. What pissed Holly off was that Ivy couldn't allow her to live her own life. Holly was 18, and at 25 Ivy couldn't keep her nose out of her younger sister's business.

Holly looked around Rose's house, and everything was neat and clean and tidy. She'd bought new furniture since the last time Holly was there a year ago. The carpet was bright white, and the TV was nearly as wide as Holly's car. Holly was messy, sloppy, and always spilling something when she was a child. Rose was constantly punishing and chastising her youngest daughter, another point of contention between the two.

"Where's Rose," Holly asked after Ivy had cried on her shoulder for several minutes. It was obvious that they were in the house all alone. Holly's glance fell on the staircase. She fought the distinct urge to walk up the stairs and visit Lily's room. Then she was overcome with the feeling of how morbid that would be, and changed her mind.

"She went to the funeral home to take care of a few things, including making sure they had the right dress for Grandma."

Ivy made her way through the perfectly decorated dining room to the kitchen where Holly could smell fresh brewed coffee. Ivy poured a cup and offered some to her sister, but Holly refused. She walked to the cabinets and on the first shelf found a plastic cup and got some water out of the spigot. Rose kept the plastic cups at the bottom where Holly would be able to reach them, and the glass cups higher up, so she couldn't. Years ago Rose had forbidden Holly to ever use a glass cup again, after what had to be the 100th time she'd broken one.

There was no family to come visit, no cousins or aunts and uncles to mourn with. Rose had been an only child and so had Lily, and none of Lily's husbands' families associated with them. Holly could barely blame them, after being widowed five times Lily had a reputation as a black widow. It was completely unfounded, as all of the deaths were explainable. But Lily didn't lack for well-off men willing to marry her, even if they did seem to end up dead. Lily was comfortable, the house was paid for, and they had no reason to worry about bills or money.

Lily's first husband died at Iwo Jima during the war, her second died in a car accident. Her third husband was a coal miner and died in a mining accident. Her fourth husband died of an aneurism, and because the county coroner became a little suspicious of Lily the autopsy was done by the state coroner and ruled the cause of death to be natural. Her fifth husband died after only two years of marriage, of a heart attack. The coroner could find nothing to point to mysterious causes although he preformed all the tests three times and sent them out to an independent lab. Her last husband died before Ivy was born.

Rose received a small insurance policy from Ivy's father, and also government money monthly for Ivy, and went to a community college to learn to be a secretary. She worked for the state until she retired three years ago. Ivy went to beauty school and made a good living cutting hair in Huntington. Ivy had yet to meet her soldier to impregnate her and die conveniently in a war, but she had dated several cops and a fireman or two.

"Where's the food from?" Holly asked as she surveyed several aluminum covered dishes on the counter.

"Neighbors," Ivy responded and sat down at the breakfast table. She stared blankly out an open window, over the back deck to the pristine back yard. Holly was starving but didn't see anything there she'd eat. She'd been a vegetarian since she realized meat came from animals, and Rose always tried to force her to eat it anyway. She opened the fridge and found a pasta salad made with vegetables and Italian dressing, and fixed herself a bowl.

It was now almost 3 pm. Holly didn't need a clock to tell her that. "How long is mom going to be gone, I have to be at work at 5."

"You're going to work?" Ivy sounded disgusted. "Why don't you just call in?"

"It's Friday, and I need the money," Holly sighed.

"I'll loan you some money," Ivy offered. "Grandma's dead."

"And I can't do anything about that here," Holly stated, and then realized how heartless she sounded.

"You never change, do you Winter Frost? You have ice in your veins." It was not the first time Holly had been told that same thing, and probably would not be the last. She'd heard it from boys all the time, especially those who assumed since she had red hair she'd be fiery and passionate.

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what I can do here, except get into yet another argument with Rose." Holly finished her pasta salad and left her bowl where it sat. Ivy gave her a dirty look, and Holly picked it up and carried it to the dishwasher.

"Let's go look in the attic," Ivy suggested, and Holly stared at her sister as if she'd grown another head. "Let's snoop around in Grandma's things."

Holly didn't know why, but she'd had the same nagging idea since she first came in the house. "Okay," Holly agreed, and followed Ivy up the steps. Instead of stopping in Lily's room, which Holly had been drawn to, Ivy pulled down the trapdoor in the hallway which led up to the attic. "I've never been up here," Holly admitted as she followed her sister.

Like the rest of the house the attic was neat and tidy, but almost unbearably hot. It shouldn't be that hot, Holly thought, as it was only in the mid 60s outside. Ivy opened the boxes closest to the stairs and looked inside. She found Christmas decorations, Easter decorations, and several boxes of Halloween decorations. The family was not religious, but Rose enjoyed decorating with lights and trees at Christmas, and with bunnies and spring colors at Easter. She even had a pretty Easter tree she decorated with pastel ribbons and eggs. But at Halloween Rose went all out. Their house always looked like the set of a scary movie with flashing strobe lights, black lights illuminating ghosts in the trees in the front yard, and even fake gravestones. And during trick or treat she would play spooky music and sit out front with a witch costume on, sometimes even scaring the little kids.

Holly looked around and saw nothing but cardboard boxes filled with decorations and summer clothes that Rose had put away during fall cleaning. And then, she found a box that said "Pictures." She walked over to it and opened it. She found snapshots of Ivy, from infancy to adulthood, but almost none of herself. "All those times you told me I was adopted you weren't kidding, were you?" Holly was only half joking. She sat down on the dusty wood floor of the attic and pulled out several photos.

"Yes, I was kidding," Ivy replied and joined her on the floor. "I remember when mom brought you home, she cried for two weeks straight." She could almost believe it, except she'd never seen her mother cry, or laugh, or get excited about anything. In that way Holly was almost exactly like her mother. "Grandma took care of you, or you would have died from malnutrition or something."

"Look, this is me and you," Ivy stated after going through several of the pictures herself. The red hair was unmistakable, even though she was only a toddler she had a head full of it. Ivy turned it over, hoping to find when it was taken.

"What is this?" Holly glanced at the back of the picture. _Eiddew a Celyn _was written in beautiful penmanship, almost calligraphy. "It looks like gibberish," Holly said as she took the picture. "What does Eiddew a Celyn mean," she said aloud. Then she shoved it in her back pocket.

"It can't be gibberish, look at how well it's written," Ivy countered. "Here, look at this one." She handed her sister another picture, and it was a woman who looked very much like Holly with two children. The picture was black and white, but the sisters could see the woman did not have blonde hair, or dark hair like brown or black. "Is she a redhead," Ivy wondered.

"I can't tell," Holly said. But of the two children with her, one was distinctly dark, with dark hair and skin and eyes.

"Rose," both women said at the same time.

"Who is that with her," Ivy wondered. The older woman had her hands on the little girl's shoulders, and Rose stood a little to the side. Ivy turned it over, and again on the back was the same gibberish as the other picture.

"Pabi a Cododd," Holly read. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Ivy shrugged, and looked farther into the box. For some reason Holly placed that picture in her back pocket as well.

They heard a car pull up in front of the house, and Holly stood to look out the tiny window in the attic. "It's Rose," Holly said in the same tone as she would have said monster or spider.

She was in a police cruiser, and she exited the car and took several moments speaking to the officer, probably thanking him for bringing her. Ivy hurried to put the lid on the box, and Holly was already down the stairs and in the hallway when Ivy hurried down and put the trap door back. They heard the door open, and knew it was too late to try to get back downstairs. Ivy was closest to the bathroom, so she slipped in there. That left Holly to face Rose.

"Hello, Rose," Holly said from the top of the stairs.

"What are you doing here," Rose asked with what amounted to a snarl. "And what are you doing up there? Snooping around in my room?"

Rose was an older version of Ivy, not quite as tall, but thin with sun-kissed skin and light brown eyes. You would never know she was 55 by looking at her. Her skin was as flawless as a 20 year old. Her dark brown hair held no grey, and her figure was lean and toned. But her expression was always sour. And there was no happiness in her eyes, especially when she gazed at her youngest daughter.

The hairs on the back of Holly's neck stood up as they usually did when she was around her mother. Holly could smell the leather purse, shoes, and jacket she wore. It was overpowering and made her just a little nauseous.

"No, Rose, Ivy was in the bathroom a long time, and I was worried about her. I need to go before I leave for work." Holly had a lot of practice lying to her mother, and she did it smoothly.

At that Ivy flushed the commode, and then stepped out. When she did she was crying again, and she rushed to Rose. Although Ivy was obviously their mother's favorite, Rose could not handle her emotions, and hurried toward the kitchen to escape her. Ivy looked up and waived Holly away from the steps. When Holly heard the back door open she knew she had enough time to do what she'd wanted to do from the beginning. She opened Lily's bedroom door and slipped in, leaving it slightly cracked so she could hear if Rose came upstairs.

Unlike Rose, Lily loved both her granddaughters equally, perhaps even favoring Holly a little. And also unlike Rose, Lily's room was a little on the sloppy side. Her dirty clothes had been thrown on the floor, and when Holly picked them up to put them on the chair by the bed two things fell out. One was a key on a thick copper colored chain, and another was a coin. Holly picked them up, and for some reason put them in her pocket.

When she walked over to the chair she glanced over at her grandmother's dresser. Oddly enough there was an envelope on top, with one word across the front; Celyn. Holly picked that up as well. When she did she heard the back door open again, and then she heard Ivy talking. She hurriedly left her Grandma's room and slipped into the bathroom. She flushed, and then walked toward the steps. Ivy walked toward the front door too, with Rose close behind.

"I have to be at work at 5, so I should be going," Holly said. "Ivy will you call me and let me know when the funeral is?"

"Sure, I'll call," Ivy said, and hugged her sister. Holly hurried out of the house.

Chapter Two

Holly arrived at the restaurant at 4:45, with just enough time to change into her khaki pants and oxford shirt before her shift. She pulled everything out of her jeans pockets and again was stunned by the contents: pictures with the funny words on the back, the envelope with the funny word across the front, the key on the chain and the coin. She didn't know how they were all connected, but she knew they were meant for her somehow.

She hid her clothes in the small staff break room and clocked in, right on time. The manager gave out assignments, and Holly was once again the bar waitress. She hated it. She hated being in the bar with all the cigarette smoke. And she hated serving men who only drank and didn't tip much. But she was the only one the bartender on duty, Jacob, didn't scream at on a regular basis so she ended up in that section most times when he was tending bar.

She caught up with her manager and asked to speak with her quickly. She looked at her watch as if irritated, and Holly sighed. Why couldn't people just be a little more human, she wondered.

"I'm sorry, it's just that my kid is sick and my husband is on my back," the older woman said quickly, then stopped and stared at Holly. She never said anything of a personal nature, and she wasn't sure why she just said what she did.

"My Grandma died last night," Holly tried to sound emotional. Her voice even cracked a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the manager said and placed her hand on Holly's arm.

"I'm going to need a couple of days off, for the funeral," Holly looked down at the floor, avoiding the other woman's eyes. Holly didn't want her to see that there were no tears in her eyes.

"That's fine, take all the time you need. Are you sure you can work tonight?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Holly's voice cracked again. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, then. Just let me know what days you'll need off."

Holly carried a jack and coke and a white wine to a couple in the corner when she saw Ivy come into the restaurant. Ivy was dressed in a long flowing blue skirt and a darker blue peasant shirt. She looked like she fit in wherever she went, and with the thick gold bracelets on her wrist and gold sandals and purse she looked so stylish Holly was jealous yet again.

Ivy's hazel eyes met Holly's green ones, and Ivy told the host she would sit at the bar. Ivy sat at an empty stool at the bar and ordered from the bartender. Holly only had two tables occupied, and both already had their drinks, so she stood beside her sister.

"I came to see you," Ivy admitted, although it was more than obvious. "I wanted to know what you found in Grandma's room."

"How did you know I found anything," Holly wondered as her hand went to her front pocket.

"I just know," Ivy stated as the bartender brought her a fruity frozen drink in a big glass.

"Since when do you drink," Holly wondered.

"Since Grandma died," Ivy replied.

"Your Grandma died?" The bartender, Jacob, was friendly and liked to talk. He was about Ivy's age, divorced with a couple of kids. He was cute and was always looking to get laid. Holly didn't fall for it like the other waitresses, and she thought maybe that was why he wasn't always yelling at her, because she hadn't slept with him yet.

"Jacob, this is my sister," Holly introduced them. She hoped it would make Ivy forget about what she found.

"Hahaha, that's funny," Jacob said. And when neither Ivy nor Holly laughed, instead each stared back at him blankly, Jacob looked as confused as most people did. "You're really sisters?"

"Different dads," Ivy offered as an excuse. "My name's Ivy."

"Ahhhh…" Jacob nodded as if that explained everything. "Holly and Ivy?" He laughed again, but when they continued to stare he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry your Grandma died. Why are you working?"

"I need money," Holly sighed, and looked around the empty bar. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to make any tonight.

"Maybe some sexy, mysterious, dark, single foreigner will come in and leave you a very nice tip," Ivy's hazel eyes lit up with excitement.

Holly rolled her eyes in response. "Could you be a little more specific?"

"You want me to give you his name, too? That would take all the fun out of it." Ivy's smile sparkled as much as her eyes. Her whole face lit up, and her cheeks were pink.

"Maybe," Holly's eyebrows shot up questioningly.

"I'm not going to." Ivy shook her head and returned her attention to Holly's pocket. "What did you find in Grandma's room?"

"A note, a key, and a coin," she said, and pulled them each out of her pocket and dropped them on the bar.

Jacob picked up the coin and examined it, while Ivy picked up the envelope. "What does Celyn mean?"

"I don't know, but it was on the picture of me and you too," Holly provided, and turned to the table where two younger guys sat drinking happy hour priced draft beers. "Looks like they need two more," she said to Jacob, then walked toward the pair. "Two more?" She asked before she got to the table. They nodded, and she returned to the bar to pick up and then deliver their drinks.

"This is real gold," Jacob stated when he handed the coin to Ivy.

"How do you know?" Holly doubted he would know just by looking at the coin what it was made of.

"I've seen my share of coins, and I know that one is gold," Jacob said assuredly.

"I think he's right," Ivy said and handed it to Holly. Holly didn't even look at the coin when she first picked it up, she'd just shoved it into her pocket. Now with wide eyes she examined it more closely. On one side was a bust of some unknown old man with the words CAESAR DICT and PER. On the other side was a woman in flowing robes, holding a curled stick in one hand and a dove in the other.

"Another jack and coke and white wine," Holly said without tearing her gaze away from the coin.

"How do you know," Jacob asked with a laugh. Holly looked up at him, and then looked back at the couple in the corner, and he was taking his last sip of his drink.

"I just do," Holly replied with a bright smile, and walked toward the table. "Two more?" She asked, and the man nodded. She turned back to Jacob and smiled again. He poured the drinks.

"I want you to call me when you get off tonight," Ivy said as she stood up, and pulled two tens out of her purse and handed them to Jacob. "Keep the change," she said with her sparkling smile, and Jacob nodded. She hugged Holly quickly, then left.

After her sister left the bar got busy, and Holly had almost forgotten the items in her pocket. Toward the end of her shift, about twenty minutes before the restaurant closed at midnight, a man came in and sat at one of the round corner tables. She hadn't seen him come in, and had only caught him out of the corner of her eye as she was cleaning a table on the other side of the bar. But when she turned around to look at him she was frozen to the spot.

His skin was fair, but not like Holly whose was bright white. His complexion was somewhere between peaches and cream. His hair was as dark and glossy as ebony, with a slight wave that did not allow it to hang flat against his head. He studied the menu, and she could see he did not wear a ring on his left hand. Holly looked at Jacob whose shock was also apparent on his face.

"Hi there," she said as she approached. "What can I get you tonight?"

He looked up at her and she froze again. He had the lightest blue eyes she'd ever seen. And they were true blue, not hazel blue or blue green or grey. And he was the most gorgeous, beautiful, and stunningly handsome man she'd ever seen. She didn't know if she was breathing or not.

"Are you still serving dinner because I'm starving," the sexy, dark, and hopefully single man asked in a rich accented voice.

"Yes, for 20 more minutes," she supplied, then wished she hadn't. She didn't want to discourage him from eating here with the thought that he would be rushed. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me," she said without even knowing why. Staring into those bright blue eyes put her completely off guard. "You can order whatever you like, and take as much time as you need to eat. I have several things to do before I can leave. I probably won't get out of here for another hour." Then she realized she'd said too much, and forcibly closed her mouth.

"I will have the nachos grande, and a Mexican beer," he said and put down the menu. And he had an accent that sent chills down her spine. He was absolutely perfect.

"Good, that sounds perfect," she nodded, and turned away from him. Jacob was holding the beer out for her, still in shock, when she returned to the bar. She entered his order into the touch screen computer in front of her, then took the beer out of Jacob's hand and carried it to the man.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry," Holly started, and when the man turned to look at her again with those bright blue eyes she couldn't find the words that she had meant to say.

"No, it's fine," his smile was friendly as he took a sip of his beer and nodded. "What did you want to ask?"

"Where are you from? I mean, the accent and everything," Holly stumbled.

"I'm Welsh," he said with another disarming smile.

"Oh, God, I should have known," she exclaimed angrily as her hand went back to her pocket.

"Should have known I was Welsh," he laughed at the thought as he took another sip of his beer.

"What is my name in Welsh," Holly's voice was nearly a shout as her green eyes bored holes into his.

"I don't know your name," his laugh had faded, and his blue eyes turned to ice in an instant.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then said "I'm sorry" as she withdrew the envelope and placed it in front of him on the table.

"Holly?" He asked as he read the envelope, his eyes as wide as hers.

She nodded, dumbfounded.

She left him alone to eat as she quickly rolled silverware at the bar. His glance went to her several times, and she was just too stunned by everything that had happened to notice.

"He needs another beer," Jacob said as he placed it in front of her. "You usually know before they do."

"Sorry, just shock," she sighed. Before she could take the beer to him he grabbed his plate and carried it to the bar. Then he sat down right beside her. Jacob handed him the beer.

"Thanks," he said with a nod, but his eyes didn't leave her. "Celyn," the word was a caress.

"Ie," she said as she looked up.

"Ydych chi'n siarad Cymraeg?" He said aloud, and she nodded. They stared at each other for a very long moment, and he said, "What did I just say?"

"Do you speak Welsh," she responded in English. "How do I know that?"

"I can't answer that," he said, and she didn't know if he spoke Welsh or English, she just knew that she understood him. And she knew, somehow, that he was lying. "What else do you have to do before you can go?"

"Finish this, then cash out," she responded.

One dark brow rose in shock. He seemed infinitely more attractive. "The answer is probably in the reason why this envelop says Celyn and not Holly." She could only nod as he handed her a bill. "Take this, and cash out, then come right back here. Okay?"

She took his money and his empty dish blindly, prepared her receipt and had Jacob sign that she'd done her side work, then took her cash to her manager.

"Are you okay?" The older woman asked. Holly nodded her response. "Go home and get some rest, you'll feel better tomorrow," she said and patted Holly's shoulder again. Holly didn't even count her tips. She just walked back to the bar. He took her hand and led her out to his car.

She was too stunned to even realize she was getting into a car with a sexy, mysterious, foreign man or realize that she should refuse. "Are you single," she asked as he put his car in gear.

"Ie," he affirmed.

"How old are you?" She wondered aloud as the restaurant and her car disappeared in the rear view mirror.

"27," he said with a smile. "Is there somewhere we can go to talk?" She thought of her grungy, tiny apartment and shook her head. "It's fine, we can go to my hotel."

"I'd like to call my sister to meet us there," she said as she pulled out her phone. He nodded, and she pushed the button that called her sister's number from the received call that morning.

"Did you meet him," Ivy asked.

"Yea," Holly responded and looked at him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

"Are you in his car," she asked louder.

"Yea," Holly nodded even though her sister couldn't see her.

"Where are you going?" Holly couldn't answer. "What's his name?"

"I don't know," she said honestly.

He pulled up to an expensive hotel in Charleston and opened the door for her. He took the phone out of her hand when both sisters grew quiet.

"Rhyfelwr Warlow," he said before he told Ivy where to meet them and the room number, then ended the call.

She followed after him slowly, the words echoing in her head. They rode up in the elevator together, neither saying a word just staring at each other. He led her to his suite and opened the door. She walked several feet into the room, then turned to face him. "Your parents named you warrior warlock?"

He laughed out loud, for several moments. She didn't move, she didn't speak, she didn't breathe. "Yes, I guess they did." He laughed again. She didn't understand what was so funny. "My parents call me Rhys if that helps." It didn't.

He called down to room service and ordered a bottle of wine, several bottles of water, and an order of French fries and macaroni and cheese for Holly. "I don't eat meat," she explained.

"I didn't think so," he laughed. She stared at him as if he'd become some alien creature she didn't understand. She sat at the breakfast table in the living room part of his suite, with the envelope, the coin, and the key laying on the table in front of her. "Are you going to open it?"

"I guess I should, now that I know it's mine," she sighed as she turned the envelope over in her hand. Then she placed it on the table and picked up the key. She stared at the beautiful chain that held it. The intricate design and the soft almost pink color made it even more alluring.

"Copper," he said as he finally sat down across from her. "I'm a chemist."

"Oh," she said and nodded. He laughed again.

"I say I'm a Welsh chemist, and all you can say is oh? Usually it's a better opening line with beautiful women than that." When she fretted over the idea that he was trying to open a conversation and he just called her beautiful, he gave her another disarming smile. "But I guess being in my hotel room and me ordering you fries and macaroni, you assume we're past opening lines?" When she frowned he smiled even brighter.

They heard a knock at the door, and Rhys jumped to answer it. Room service delivered the food and drinks, and he handed the man a couple of bills and carried the tray to the table. She finally noticed that he was dressed well, in jeans with a light blue polo shirt that matched his eyes, tucked in with a brown leather belt and brown leather shoes. He stood still for several moments, and when she realized he stopped her eyes flew to his. Then she realized he knew she was looking at him and encouraged it.

"Thank you," she said with a shy smile as he sat the tray in front of her.

"You don't talk much, do you," he wondered as he busied himself opening the wine. "And you've had that envelope in front of you for," he looked down at what had to be the most expensive watch she'd ever seen, "nearly 40 minutes and haven't opened it."

She shoved food into her mouth so she wouldn't have to answer. He found a glass and poured wine in one, then stared at Holly. "Are you old enough to drink?" She shook her head slowly. "I was teasing," he said as he handed her a bottle of water.

There was another knock at the door, and he jumped yet again. When he opened it to let Ivy in, he looked from her to Holly and back again. "Are you two scamming me?" He wondered aloud.

"Not at all," Ivy answered. "Why would you think that?"

"You don't look like sisters," he sighed. "And she asked me her name in Welsh, then knew the language when I spoke it to her."

Holly's eyes grew wide, and she shook her head quickly.

"We've had a very trying day," Ivy sighed and swept into the room. She was still wearing the blue outfit, and still looked perfect, as if she had sat up and waited for Holly to call. "Our Grandma passed away in the middle of the night."

"Oh, I'm very sorry for your loss," he said somberly. "That doesn't explain how Holly knows Welsh."

"I think we both may know some," Ivy admitted. "I believe Grandma used to speak it to us when we were little." Holly's eyes flew from Rhys to Ivy. "Mam gu."

Holly then pulled the photos out of her back pocket and handed them to Rhys. He looked at the first one, obviously the two sisters when they were younger, and smiled at Holly. Then he turned it over and laughed again. "Your names are Holly and Ivy?"

"I wish just once people wouldn't laugh," Ivy sighed.

"It's a popular Christmas carol and children's story in England," he shrugged and sipped his wine, trying not to laugh again. He studied the next photo, then turned it over. "Poppy and Rose," he informed them. "Your mother and aunt?"

"Our mother is Rose," Ivy agreed. "But we don't know who Poppy is."

"And that's your mam gu?" He asked as he pointed at Lily. Holly and Ivy both nodded. "She looks like you."

"I always thought so," Holly stated with a huge smile. Rhys stared a little too long, and smiled back at her.

"And so does Poppy," Ivy added. She held the two pictures side by side and Poppy and Holly could have been sisters. "Wow, that's incredible."

"Okay, I'm dying to know," Rhys said as he looked back at his watch. "That letter has been here for nearly an hour. I don't know how long it's been in your pocket. Open it." It was only slightly less than a command.

Holly slowly opened the envelope, and pulled out the paper inside. In the same beautiful penmanship as on the photos, and in Welsh, the letter was written. Holly looked it over several times, then handed it to Rhys. Although she had realized she knew a little more spoken Welsh than she was aware, she could not understand it written at all.

"Celyn," he began, in Welsh. The way he said the word made it sound like an endearment. She liked it. "If you're reading this, I've passed. I hope Rose doesn't find it first, but I'm sure she's too busy to notice it. I'm almost sure you've found the coin and the key. If you haven't, sneak back and look in my pockets. I won't tell you where to look, but if you and Ivy concentrate very hard, I'm sure you'll find the lock. The coin is for you, the Augur. The rest is for you and Ivy to share. There can only be two at a time. You are the strongest. It's time to grow up now. I love you both, Mam gu."

"What is an Augur," Ivy asked and stared at Rhys.

"I have no idea, it isn't Welsh," he shook his head.

Holly thought of her birds at home in her apartment, how she talked to them and they talked back. She thought of her fascination for birds all her life, watching them fly and land. "That's an Augur," Holly stated and pushed the coin into the center of the table.

"What does it mean, though," Ivy repeated, and stared at her sister.

"I…" Holly began, and then shook her head. "I can't say."

"Why?" Rhys and Ivy both cried out at the exact same time. "That coin is Roman, by the way. I've seen them in Wales. Once, a man using a metal detector found a whole trove of them in his back yard." He stared at Holly, then handed her the coin. "But that's neither here nor there."

"It's just silly, really." Holly took the coin and put it back in her pocket. Then she took the necklace and put it over her head.

"We've come this far, Celyn" Rhys said as he took her hand in his. "After tonight nothing will seem silly to me again."

Holly looked at her hand in his. She finally realized how much bigger he was than her. He had to be over six feet tall. He had even towered over Ivy. His hand was warm and slightly calloused. He had almost no hair on his arms. And he waited for her to speak. His lips parted, his eyes held hers. And the vein at his neck pulsed. She could even feel his heart beat in his hand.

She took his hand and turned it over, palm up. Then she looked in his eyes, and unlike earlier when she looked into his eyes as if she was staring into heaven itself, her eyes became vacant, as if she saw something she didn't want to see but stared it down anyway.

"Your father was very rich, but he believed in hard work. You and your brother Iolyn worked in the stables to be allowed to ride the horses, but your younger sister Eira didn't have to do anything around the house, and she was spoiled. You resented her. Your mother forced the traditional names on your father. He said the only Welsh name he would give you was warrior, and it stuck. You buy expensive things because you are angry at your father. You didn't want to be a chemist, you wanted to be a…" Rhys pulled his hand away quickly. "Soldier," she finished. Ivy's eyes grew wide, and something unsaid bubbled between the two.

"Okay, this is a little too creepy. Are you sure you two aren't setting me up?" He stood up and paced around the room, running his hands through his thick dark hair. "Did you google me or something?"

"How could I google you, I didn't even know your name," Holly reminded him. "I just met you, and I haven't been around a computer."

"I did," Ivy said. "But I refused to tell Holly. It was the one thing I didn't tell her. I knew you were coming."

"How did you _know_ I was coming? I didn't even know I was going to that restaurant," he insisted.

"You got in your car, unsure of where you were going, and just happened to end up at the restaurant where Holly was waiting for someone to translate a Welsh letter?"

When Ivy put it that way, Rhys was even more confused. "How does your mam gu know Welsh," he wondered. "And how do you read palms," he asked as he stared at Holly. Her eyes were once again staring into his as if he was a real warrior and she was a damsel in distress. "And how do you know the future? Are you two witches?"

"Don't insult us," Ivy said with a snarl. Then she realized what she said, and surveyed her sister's reaction with narrowed eyes. Holly continued to look at Rhys as if she didn't even hear Ivy. "My father died in Viet Nam," Ivy informed him. "And our grandfather died in World War II. I never met my father, and Rose never met hers. They were both soldiers." That made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"No one knows I wanted to join the army except my parents and siblings," he sighed and shook his head. "Do you know the winning lottery numbers as well?"

Holly's eyes grew vacant, and she thought for only a moment before she began to spout off numbers. "16, 22, 28…" Rhys' eyes grew wide, and he reached for a pen.

"Stop that," Ivy chided as she tried to get the pen away from Rhys. But he grabbed a pad before she could stop him and began to write.

"34, 41, 9," Holly finished, but her eyes were still vacant. Rhys grabbed her hands and spoke her name, and she snapped out of it.

"We can't use our powers like that," Ivy scolded.

"How do you know? Is there a rule?" Rhys' voice was harsh as he countered Ivy's suggestion. "You don't even know where your _powers_ came from."

"I've had them all my life," both girls said at the same time, then stared at each other.

"Why didn't you tell me," Holly's eyes grew wide with shock. Ivy looked away, unable to meet her sister's eyes.

"Mother told me you couldn't do what I did, and you would be jealous," Ivy shrugged. She didn't want to sound as hurt as she did, but she was unable to control her emotions as usual.

"Rose told me that you and everyone else would think I was a freak if I told you. She told me I was probably a demon, and that my father was probably the devil and gave me the ability…" Holly stopped when she realized that she said too much yet again. Ivy's eyes were even more hurt, but there was also a bit of disbelief in there. Rhys sat in stunned silence.

"I really can't believe…" the words caught in Ivy's throat, unable to say them aloud. It was Ivy's turn to pace the floor, and she grabbed the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. "I can't believe mother," she started again after several moments, then corrected herself. "I can't believe Rose would say that." Still the words wouldn't come out on their own, and her tone was hushed as if she forced them.

She finished the wine, then poured another glass. Holly sat staring at her hands folded in her lap, and Rhys' again stared at both sisters. "I don't know why, or how, I'm involved in all of this. But I do know that you two are staying here tonight, and tomorrow we are going to find that lock," he said and yawned. "And buy a lottery ticket." When Ivy tried to get the paper away from him yet again he smiled and stuffed it in his back pocket. "You two take the bedroom. I'll sleep on the couch."

Ivy didn't appear stunned at all. She calmly stood up, walked to the door, and opened it. From the hallway she took an overnight bag where she'd placed it before she knocked, and put it over her shoulder.

"You already knew you were staying, right?" Rhys asked, and Ivy gave him one of her dazzling smiles that made her face sparkle and her cheeks turn pink.

"Yes," Ivy stated. "And I brought a toothbrush and some things for you, too," she said to Holly, who was still too stunned to move.

"Do you have a gun in there? Are you planning to rob me in my sleep? I'm not sure if I trust you yet," he said with a laugh, realizing that he invited them to stay in his hotel room, and admitted that he didn't trust them.

Holly looked up at Rhys and her eyes became vacant again. Then she said as if it were the most important answer yet, "no, she doesn't have a gun."

Rhys laughed again, and Holly wondered why. She knew he never usually laughed much, but apparently with her he laughed at things she didn't even know were supposed to be funny. "It was rhetorical," he informed her and shook his head.

"Come on, let's get you in bed," Ivy said with a chuckle as she took her sister's hand and practically pulled her out of the seat.

For some reason Rhys was compelled to hug Holly, and as she stood up he walked to her, tipped her face up to his so that he could look into her eyes. They were not vacant. They were vibrant and alive like a bright spring day.

"Good night, Celyn," he said, and then he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She was even more confused than she had been before. Ivy grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bedroom, and Rhys searched the closet for a blanket and pillows.

Chapter Three

Holly awoke with a start again, and there was no light in the room. She looked around, and started to panic because she had no idea where she was. Then she heard someone breathing, and she became even more scared. Her hand went out, and found a table. She was not in her own bedroom, and she was not alone. There was no window so she couldn't find the moon. She was close to screaming when she heard her sister's voice. "Go back to sleep, we're in Rhys' hotel room."

For a moment she was quiet. She didn't know why being in Rhys' hotel room with her sister should calm her, but it did. She couldn't go back to sleep though, not in a dark room. And as quietly as she could she slithered out of the bed and found the door. She opened it and stepped through, then closed it back. Her sister didn't move. Good, she thought with a nod.

But that left Rhys asleep on the couch. She glanced around the room, and she could barely make out in the darkness a blanket on the couch. Just as silently she walked toward the sliding glass doors that led to a balcony. It was the only source of light in the room, and she knew outside she would find the moon full and bright again.

She opened the door and made it outside, and took a deep breath. She found the moon looking down at her, and could see its reflection in the Kanawha River just a few yards from the hotel. She walked to the railing and put her hands on it.

"Couldn't sleep," the rich, now familiar voice asked. She jumped, startled, and turned to her left. He sat silently in a lounge chair, also looking out over the river. "Me too. The hills here almost remind me of home," he sighed. "Almost."

Their eyes met and locked in the light of the moon. She wore a nightgown her sister had brought for her. When she put it on she thought it very modest. But now, standing outside on a moonlit balcony with such a handsome stranger, she felt nearly naked. The thin cotton nightgown reached her knees, and was long sleeved and cut like a v-necked t-shirt. But the way he gazed at her made her feel like she should be wearing jeans and a turtleneck sweater.

Ivy insisted on taking her hair down. She brushed it thoroughly, and put it in a long, thick braid down her back. Rhys couldn't tear his eyes away from it, wanting more than anything to free her hair and bury his face and hands in it.

"Celyn." He whispered it. Then he stood to walk toward her as if he was a moth and her hair was the flame. She turned away from him, unable to hold his intense gaze any longer. He took one hesitant step, then another, and he couldn't stop his own hands from going out to take her braid, letting it slide down to the end. Then he took the band out that held it, and slowly pulled the braid apart.

He was at least a foot taller than her as he stood behind her, and she'd never felt more safe and more scared in her life. Her heart beat faster and her breath came in pants as if she just finished running a mile. "You've always had a thing for redheads, since you were young," she could barely speak the words.

"You're a virgin," he allowed to slip out; then he quickly regretted it. He just wanted to show her he knew things about her as well.

"How did you know," she groaned as his hands made it to her neck, and caressed her there as he finally had her hair free.

"How did you know I like redheads," he wondered aloud as he took another step closer to her, and she could feel his chest against her shoulders. She'd been kissed before, by boys in high school at dances, their awkward advances quickly refused. But this intimacy with this beautiful, vibrant stranger was much more exciting. She'd heard the Frost Queen quip enough times to wonder if she was permanently frozen to men, but just the touch of his hands set her blood on fire. And his chest, hard and firm and wide against her made her want more. She allowed her body to melt into his, feeling the tops of his thighs against her rear.

His hands caught her hair and slightly pulled as it was his turn to groan. And at that moment she realized that if she stood on her tiptoes her rear would be right against his…

"No," he growled and pulled away quickly.

"Why," she whispered, and she turned to find his eyes.

It was his turn to avoid her eyes. "You're a child," he groaned and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm 18 years old," she pouted. "I'm not a child."

"You might as well be," he sighed, and returned to his chair.

"Your father sent you here," she whispered. She had known it since he held her hand earlier, but now she felt compelled to say it.

"He wants to buy a chemical plant in the US, and there are enough of those sitting idle in Charleston," he stated matter-of-factly.

It was true enough, and why she didn't question him earlier when he said he was a chemist. But there was something else. "That's not the only reason."

"I had a relationship, with a married woman. She works at one of the plants in England. She fed me a sob story about how her husband abused her, neglected their children, and stayed out late at night. My father investigated her when he found out we were sleeping together, and found her to be a liar, a cheater, and a gold digger." His voice was harsh, like Ivy's earlier when she found out what Rose did to the two of them. She knew he was telling the truth. But there was something else, something nibbling at the back of her subconscious.

"What else," she asked.

"There was an ugly incident, when he called us both into his office and confronted her. At first she acted like she didn't know what he was talking about, until he played several phone calls she made from her office; calls between her and her husband, and her and her friend. She bragged about it to her friend, about catching me like a big fish and reeling me in. She even told her husband she loved him, while she was telling me…" His thought trailed off, and he glanced up at the moon that was fading behind the hills to the west. Soon it would be dawn.

"Was she a red head," Holly wondered.

"Yes," he sighed. That admission made her smile, but she didn't quite understand why. She sat down in one of the chairs beside him, and watched the hills to the east grow pink. It was going to be another beautiful day in Charleston.

She awoke on the couch in the hotel room, covered up in the blanket. She looked around the room, decorated in tans and burgundy, with pictures of flowers on the walls. Rhys was no where to be found.

Ivy opened the door to the bedroom, looking perfectly put together in a pair of dark grey pants and a light pink cami and cardigan set. The pink made her skin appear even darker, and her eyes even lighter. "Come on sleepy head, you can't sleep all day," Ivy chided. "It's already after 9."

Holly yawned loudly, and stretched. "Where's Rhys?" She regretted saying it as soon as she did.

"He's out, trying to decide exactly how crazy we are. He'll be back with breakfast and a lottery ticket, in about 30 minutes. So you need to go shower and dress in the outfit I bought for you." Holly groaned, but obediently did as she was told.

She showered quickly, refusing to wash her long hair. Then she bundled up in a towel and stared at the outfit her sister laid out on the bed. It was a soft green sweater, the softest material she'd ever felt in her life, and the exact same shade as her eyes. The skirt was cotton and flowed to her calves, in shades that gradually grew darker; matching the sweater perfectly at the waist, then a dark rich moss green at the hem. It was beautiful. She'd never owned anything that pretty in her life. There was even underwear to match, and she shouldn't be surprised that everything fit perfectly.

She was dressed and admiring herself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door when she heard Ivy and Rhys talking. She had no idea what to do with her hair so she brushed it and put it up in a quick bun, then joined the other two in the sitting area.

"Wow." Ivy was the first to speak because apparently Rhys couldn't. But Ivy swept up and deftly pulled the band out of her hair and released it. Rhys' eyes grew wide at the sight. If he was drawn to it in the moonlight, he was captivated by it in the sunlight. There were no blonde or brown streaks in her hair, but in the sunlight it appeared to have the sheen of the copper chain she still wore around her neck. Ivy laughed as she walked toward Rhys and took the bags from his hands. She actually snapped her fingers in front of his eyes to wake him up. When he gained his composure his face was nearly as red as Holly's hair.

"Biscuits," Ivy announced, and drew both of them to the breakfast table near the balcony where they met the night before. Rhys' face grew even redder somehow. Ivy made coffee, which Holly refused but Rhys thankfully accepted. Inside the bag was two biscuits with sausage and one without, three orders of eggs, and three orders of potatoes. Apparently Rhys had been in West Virginia long enough to become acquainted with a country breakfast. There were even fried apples hidden in the bottom of one of the bags.

"I bought a lottery ticket," he admitted when they were all finished eating.

Ivy laughed at the idea. "You already have more than enough money," she stated the obvious as she took in his pleated khaki pants and soft blue oxford shirt. It was almost the exact same thing Holly wore to work, but on him it looked incredibly masculine. He tucked the shirt into his pants perfectly, and wore the brown leather belt and shoes. Even Holly could tell he paid a lot for his clothes.

"We'll split it, 60-40," he said with a sly grin as Holly stood to clear the table. "Let the maids do that," he sighed. "We have an adventure to begin."

They made their way to the parking lot, and Ivy was very impressed with Rhys' car. That meant the car was very expensive. Ivy wanted to sit in the front seat, and although Rhys wanted Holly to sit in the front with him he didn't say so. "I'm the tallest, I need more leg room," Ivy reasoned, and Holly couldn't argue.

"Do we know where we're going?" Rhys wondered as he started the car.

"I haven't really thought about it," Ivy answered, and began to change the radio station and air conditioner. She pushed buttons even though she didn't know what they did. And Holly slid into the back seat noting how soft the leather felt. Being a vegetarian, and appreciating the feel of the seats definitely warred in her mind for several minutes.

"Well the letter said you should think about it and you would know where to find the lock," Rhys reminded them.

"I know, I know," Ivy stated as she turned up the radio. "Just drive toward my house." Holly knew that Ivy wanted to find some make up for her, so she would be more attractive to Rhys. Holly thought it was a stupid idea. She learned last night that Rhys was already attracted to her, but when she tried to get closer to him he withdrew.

"Can we just go to the storage unit, please?" Holly asked, and that got Rhys' attention.

"Do you know where we are going?" Rhys asked as he looked back at her.

"Yes, I believe I do," Holly stated, but before she could answer Ivy's cell phone rang.

She listened for several moments, and Holly could hear Rose's voice on the other end of the line. "Okay, slow down. What are you saying?"

Holly sat in the back seat, trying to concentrate on what Rose was saying. For some reason Holly could never read Rose's mind, or future, or anything about what she had done or what she was intending to do. Rose was totally off limits to Holly's powers.

"Are you kidding me," Ivy exclaimed. Her voice grew loud. "I can't believe it! When?" She grew quiet again. "Why? I don't understand. Okay, I'll come over there now," Ivy said, then turned to Holly. "What do you mean you don't want me to come over? This is ridiculous," Ivy said, and hung up the line.

She sat silently for several minutes, then started to cry. "Can you take me back to my car?" Rhys turned the car around, and headed back to the hotel. "Lily's body is missing," she said after she calmed down.

"What do you mean her body is missing?" Holly called out. "Where would someone take the body of an old woman? Why would they do it?"

"It's insane. There's just nothing else you can say," Ivy stated. "Rose said she didn't want me to come over, but I don't think it would be a good idea to leave her alone right now. She's going through so much." Rhys and Holly escorted Ivy up to his room to get her bag, then back down to the parking lot to her car. "She just lost her mother, and now they've lost her body."

"I hope you can take care of her," Rhys said and shook her hand. When Ivy got in her car and drove off Holly realized they were now alone. "So it's just you and I and the storage unit, Celyn."

"Yes," Holly nodded.

"Do you know where it is," Rhys asked.

"Yes," Holly nodded again.

"Are you going to tell me where? Or do you expect me to be psychic too?" Rhys laughed at her again. Holly rolled her eyes and climbed into the car. Then she found a notepad and ink pen, and wrote down the address. He put it in the GPS and they drove west on I-64.

"It's here," Holly pointed out the exit, and he pulled off and followed the GPS instructions until they arrived at the place.

"Are you ready for this," Rhys asked, and exited the car. He opened her door for her, realizing her reluctance. "Come on, we have to do this," he encouraged, and took her hand.

She pulled the chain off her neck, then examined the key. "I was hoping it would tell me the number," she sighed.

"You don't know?" He rolled his eyes.

"Don't mock me," she stammered, then bit her lower lip.

"I'm sorry. You must have received enough of that from Rose." His voice was repentant. He put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a half hug, then kissed her head. "You can do it. Just take your time."

She had lost the thought, and it was bugging her. Like it was right on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say it. He paused for a moment, then realized what he needed to do. "What number storage unit, Celyn?" She had always answered his direct questions.

Her eyes went vacant. "213," she answered. Rhys took his hand and led her toward it. Once they were in front of it she hesitated again.

"It's okay. You need to know," Rhys stated. She held out the key, and gazed up into his eyes. He took the key, put it in the padlock, and turned it. It opened. He exhaled, and removed the lock. Then he handed the key back to her. "Are you ready?" She nodded. "This lottery ticket is worth a hundred million dollars. You know that right?" He tried to lighten the mood, but she only shrugged.

He raised the door, and she closed her eyes and thought of her grandma. Then she knew that everything would be okay. When she heard the door retract she opened her eyes. Inside, on the far wall, was a bookcase. There was nothing else in the unit, and they walked toward it slowly, hand in hand.

Holly touched the books as she surveyed them. One was leather bound and looked very old and very sacred. The gold embossed words on the spine were Welsh, and she turned to Rhys. "Herbs and their uses," he translated. And another book that looked even older was titled: "metallurgy." And there were many with such names as "Divination," and "The Spirit World," and "The Blessed Isle." Another book was much older, and ragged. That one she could read, it said "Ceridwen".

She reached out for that one, and felt the softness and thinness of the leather. There was something under it, giving it a hard flat surface to form the book. The pages were sewn together, then they sewn into leather at the spine of the book. The paper was so thin she could practically see through them, and hand written with beautiful penmanship, like her grandmother's.

"Can you read it?" Holly's voice was hushed, as if she were in a church. Not that she'd ever been in a church.

"Yes, but not here. The light is not good, and I will need time to make it out. It's so thin." She closed the book and put it back on the shelf. "How will we move them, and where will we take them?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. She saw a box on the second shelf. It had to be copper. It looked just like the necklace. "Are you going to open it, or are you going to leave me in suspense for 3 days?"

The idea that they would be together for three more days made her smile. "We might as well do it now. I have to be at work at 5."

"Why are you going to work? We're going to be millionaires many times over after tonight." His blue eyes twinkled at the thought.

"Well then, I won't go to work tomorrow," she shrugged and picked up the box.

Inside the box several crystals, all approximately the same size and shape sparkled as if they'd never seen the sunlight. One had a soft pink hue, several had a cloudy milky hue, and several more were clear and transparent.

"Do you know what to do with these," he asked as he turned his attention from the crystals to Holly.

"I have no idea," she sighed. She placed the box back on the shelf and picked the pink one up. "There's only one pink one, maybe it's special."

"Maybe," he nodded. In her hand it began to glow, as if a light had been turned on inside it. "I guess you're right." Then he looked at all the other ones in the box, picked up one of the milky ones, and handed it to her. It glowed as well. "Okay, you're freaking me out a little. Are you sure you aren't a witch?"

"I have no idea what I am," she sighed and put them back in the box.

He glanced down at his watch, and groaned. "Are you sure you have to go to work tonight? You really don't need to. I'll pay you."

"For what?" She chuckled just a little as she said it.

"You can be my personal fortune teller," his tone was playful, and his eyes glowed almost as brightly as the crystals.

"How about we meet back here at noon tomorrow," she suggested. "Then we can decide what to do with these things."

"Okay," he nodded, "noon."

Chapter Four

He took her to the restaurant and dropped her off. She'd had the foresight to bring her work clothes with her, so she wouldn't have to go back to the hotel to get them.

"Noon, okay?" He asked as she exited his luxury car and walked toward her own beat up jalopy.

She nodded. "Noon," and smiled. She waited until he drove off and climbed into her own car. She was careful to drive away from the hotel. She drove north on I-65, away from the city, out into the sticks. The mountains on both sides of the interstate were so beautiful. Everything was just about to bloom. The mountains meant peace and tranquility for her. They were freedom. The farther she drove away from the city the more her blood sang in her veins. It was like a symphony, in tune with nature and everything around her.

She drove for almost an hour then exited the interstate onto a two lane road that did not even have a gas station near the off ramp. She pulled onto a dirt road, and drove for several more minutes until she got to an electronic gate. When she arrived two men waited for her in a pickup truck. Another pick up truck was parked behind it.

"Yer always real punctual, Ma'am," the short one, Gilbert, said.

"Yes, I try," Holly replied. "Thank you for doing this," she said as she looked at Gilbert, then his partner. Jim Bob was tall, slim, and not too bright. Both of them had worked for Lily and were saddened by her death. They were both tanned from being outside too much on their farms. They were both brown haired and brown eyed, from the Indian in their blood. And both of them knew what Lily and Holly were. Neither of them would cross her for the world.

She pulled a satchel out of her car and handed it to Gilbert. He didn't even open it, he knew what was inside. Lily backed Holly up, and that was good enough for them. "Thank ya, Ma'am," Gilbert said. "I'm real sorry for yer loss."

"You wore gloves like Lily instructed?" Holly had to make sure they wouldn't be tied to this, which could in turn be tied to her.

"Yes, Ma'am," Gilbert nodded. "We did everythin just like Miss Lily axed us."

"Good," Holly nodded, and took the keys to the pick up from Gilbert. She pushed several numbers into the box at the gate, and it opened inward.

Gilbert and Jim Bob walked toward the other truck, and called out to Holly before she could get into the truck. "If ya need anythin ya know my number."

She nodded and pulled the truck into the gate, then closed it behind her. She drove the truck for another 10 minutes, up a winding gravel road, through trees and beside a bubbling creek until the house was in sight.

The house was stunning, totally hidden from view. The wood and stone was all harvested from the local area, with a front porch painted dark brown so it would blend in with the surroundings even more. Belying the rustic appearance of the house was the modern security system that protected it. On every corner was a camera, and along the perimeter of the grounds was an electric fence. The only thing that was not included was guard dogs, and the only reason they didn't was because no one would be there every day to feed them.

She parked in front of the house and walked to the back of the truck. Gilbert and Jim Bob had included a dolly lift that she pulled off the bed, then used ropes to pull out the pine box that held her Grandmother's remains. She wished she'd asked them to help her with this part, but she didn't want them to know what she was going to do afterward.

She pulled the dolly to the back of the house, to the place she and Lily had already prepared. Holly went inside the house, ignoring the beautiful wood furniture and rustic feel of the first floor, and walked down the hall to the library. The room was decorated like any other normal library with bookshelves, comfortable chairs, and pretty paintings of hillsides. She pushed one of the chairs toward a bookshelf, climbed on it, and reached as far as she could on the top of it until she felt the button, and pushed. She put the chair back where she found it, walked back into the hallway, and saw the opening where the end of the hallway had been before. She walked through and pushed a code on the alarm system inside.

The secret panel behind her closed silently, and a light came on inside the stairway. She walked down the wooden stairs surrounded by wooden walls, toward another doorway. She entered another code on the panel at the bottom of the steps by the door, and it opened automatically. This was her grandmother's lair, now hers; fireproof, soundproof, and flood proof. There were 10 inches of cement between the basement and the house, and 10 inch cement walls on each side. Fflur had designed the house, and had it built. Lily had hidden it from Rose, knowing what she was capable of. Lily arranged for the keypad locks, and Holly ordered the surveillance and electric fence.

When her grandmother first brought her here when she was 10 she was scared to death of it. She didn't want to be trapped down in what she viewed as a dungeon. But her grandmother showed her it was very safe, with three different exits, all of which on generator power if the electricity to the house went off.

The first room was their library. The walls were lined with bookshelves and each shelf was filled with books. She'd been sorry to put the Ceridwen book in the storage unit a week ago, but Lily insisted. There were several others, of course, but the one she'd placed in the unit was the oldest. She walked past her beloved books, for today she had a purpose. Off the library was another room, the preparation room. Inside were their robes, one as green as her eyes, the other darker. She put on her own robe then entered yet another code on a keypad by the doorway and heard a buzz. The door unlocked, and opened into the worship room.

Inside were the family treasures: everything that Fflur, Lily's mother, had brought or had shipped over from Wales. She could not bring it all with her at once so she'd carefully boxed it all up and left it in her house. She arranged with a moving company to send several boxes across the ocean at a time so that if a ship sank all of it would not be lost. No one dared enter the home of the most powerful druid in Wales without permission. Fflur knew her property would be safe.

In the center of the room, hanging from two black iron posts, was Cerdiwen's cauldron. On a bookshelf across the room sat Geber's sorcerer's stone inside its black velvet bag, and beside it his small cauldron. On the shelf under it was Anwyl Tegdryw's crystal ball. Anwyl was one of Ceridwen's great-grandaughters, and Holly's ancestor. Around it were crystals from all over the world. On the shelf under it was the first lituus, a wand that curled at the top.

There was a box on the next shelf with coins Caesar gave another of their ancestors to tell his fortune. She warned him of the Ides of March, but he refused to listen. There were coins from ancient Greece, Byzantium, and even the Ottoman Empire. Her ancestors were paid well for their knowledge of the future.

On a shelf on the other side of the room were five diamonds: black, green, blue, and red, and the one in the center white. She walked to that side of the room where on another shelf Lily had placed herbs from all over the world, and from ancient times. She removed a jar that had once been owned by Cleopatra with Egyptian burial oils inside.

She couldn't believe Rose intended to have her mother embalmed. It was the most inhumane thing to fill the human body with chemicals and then bury it in the ground in a coffin that would not decompose in the natural way. Holly wanted to punish Rose for it more than for anything else she had done.

She carried the jar carefully from the room, into the next room where she grabbed Lily's robe, then into the library where she took the scroll that contained the ancient burial prayer. She carried it all up the stairs and back out to the back of the house. She walked down the path, several feet from the house, in an area that Gilbert and Jim Bob had cleared weeks ago.

The pine box sat in the middle of the clearing, and Holly placed all her items on the ground beside it. She opened the lid, stared down at the lifeless body of her beloved mam gu, and tried not to cry. She opened the jar and placed the oil on her face and hands. Although she was nearly 90 her face had no lines, and her hands were soft and smooth as a young woman's. Then she placed her grandmother's robe on her body for the last time and closed the lid. She read the scroll aloud, which was written in Latin. After she read the scroll she said the prayer of the Goddess, and took several minutes to think of her grandmother.

Then she put her hands together to form a cup in front of her, and asked for fire. Immediately a ball of fire appeared over her hands. She moved her hands over the box and opened them, and fire poured onto it. She took several steps back and watched it, making sure nothing else caught on fire around it. And when the fire burned out the sky had turned dark. She turned and walked back into the house.

She awoke at peace. She stretched and rolled over, then looked out her window. The woods behind the house were so beautiful at that time of year, with the promise of spring in the air. She remembered the ashes in the clearing, and climbed out of her bed. Her room was decorated in shades of green, with a huge yew tree painted on one wall and the Anglesey coastline painted on the opposite. In between the murals were huge French doors, almost the size of the entire wall, leading out to her own private balcony. The creek flowed not 10 feet from the back of the house, and she loved waking up to the sound of it.

She dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt and made her way out of the house. Sitting near the back door was a potted oak sapling, and a shovel. She'd purchased them only days ago and she carried them both back to the bare spot covered in ashes. She dug a hole and planted the tree, knowing it would stand as a marker for her grandmother's life. Then she planted several different species of lily bulbs around the sapling. She smiled at her work, cupped her hands, and asked for water. Soon light sprinkles came from the sky. She watched the rain fall for several moments, then headed back inside to her bedroom and showered. When she was inside again the light rain stopped.

She arrived at the storage unit promptly at noon, and saw that Rhys' car was not there yet. She turned on the radio, and hummed along. She saw a dumpster several feet from the car and decided to clean the fast food bags out of her car. As she lifted the lid she heard a car. She turned to watch his car pull up beside hers and park. She walked over toward his car and he bounced out smiling. He grabbed her and hugged her close, then kissed her on the top of her head.

"You are the goose who laid the golden egg," he picked her up and spun her around. "We won 125 million dollars!"

"Wow, I'm shocked," she said in a sarcastic tone.

"Aren't you happy?" He honestly sounded disappointed.

"Money doesn't make a person happy," she sighed.

"But it can buy you a lot of things," he grinned. "The first thing we're going to do is buy you a new car."

"An electric one?"

"We can buy you one that runs on air with 125 million dollars," he laughed.

"Okay, we'll go buy one after we take those books back to your hotel room," she nodded. "You brought boxes we can use?"

"I sure did," he said, and pulled them out of the back seat of his car. He continued talking about what they would buy when she handed him the key and he opened the door to the storage unit. They looked inside, and found it empty except for the bookshelf.

She walked into the unit and looked into the empty bookshelf. She said nothing as she turned around and walked out.

"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you," he sighed.

"Yes, I knew," she nodded.

"Let's go find some lunch and talk about this," he suggested.

"I should probably call the cops," she groaned.

"We can do that after we eat," he said. "Where is the best restaurant in this town?"

She suggested an Italian restaurant, and climbed into the passenger side of his car. They drove toward Charleston, and she stared quietly out the window. "Who do you think took the books," he wondered aloud. "Ivy?"

"Not Ivy," she said.

"Rose?" He wondered.

"I can't read Rose," Holly admitted, "never could. Lily couldn't either."

"But you can read Ivy?" Rhys wondered.

"Ivy's easy," Holly nodded, and her phone rang. "This is Ivy now." She grinned as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered. "Hello? I'm in Rhys' car and we're headed to the Italian restaurant by the mall," Holly said after a pause. "Sure you can come, we'll see you there." She smiled into Rhys' blue eyes as she listened to Ivy. "Okay, bye."

"Why is Ivy easy," he asked as she shoved her phone back into her pocket.

"Ivy is easy because she's not guarded," Holly grinned. And she's weak, but Holly didn't tell Rhys that.

"What do you know about Rose?"

More than I want to, she thought. "Not enough," Holly shrugged.

"Why don't you wear your hair down, Celyn," he asked as his hand moved to her hair and she ducked away. She'd thrown on her clothes and hadn't even brushed her hair after her shower, she simply twisted it and put it in a bun. But she fastened it with an ink pen, so she knew if he grabbed the pen her hair would be released and fall in bright red waves.

When he reached again for her hair she smiled wide and playfully slapped his hand. Her teeth were perfect, straight, and white, and her smile was dazzling. Her sister Ivy's smile was pretty and sweet looking, making her appear warm and friendly with her pink cheeks. But Holly's smile could light up a dark room, and took her from merely beautiful to nearly goddess. She smiled at his shock as he looked at her, as if she'd just transformed in front of him, and when he reached again for the ink pen in her hair she allowed him to pull it out. When her hair fell around her face he inhaled sharply, and he didn't breathe again until she reached out and shook his shoulder.

"Stop being silly," she complained, and pulled the pen out of his hand and twisted her hair again. Soon the flames were tucked away again, and he exhaled. She'd already known the power she held over him, but watching it in person amused her. "Let's go," she sighed and opened the car door. He followed after her like a lost puppy who'd just found a new mistress. She liked it.

The restaurant was filled with a church crowd when they entered at 1pm, so they sat on a bench by the door and waited. Rhys stared at the people walking past in their Sunday best, and his brows knitted in thought. "Why are they all dressed so nicely," Rhys finally asked her.

"They're coming to eat after church," she shrugged.

"Ah, in Wales we cook big Sunday dinners and invite the whole family after church," he smiled proudly.

"Do you go to church?" She asked to make small talk.

"The Church of England," he nodded.

"Huh," she thought about it for a moment and then looked away.

"Do you go to church," he asked, intrigued by her response.

"My church is everywhere," she smiled proudly, that smile that took his breath and kept it. The hostess approached just then, letting them know their table was ready. Ivy walked in just as they stood up. Ivy approached her and hugged her quickly. Ivy looked gorgeous as usual, wearing black slacks and a black and white blouse with silver embroidery around the collar and cuffs. She also wore pretty wide silver hoops and silver bangles to match.

Holly escorted her back to the table, following the hostess. Rhys waited to see where the women sat at the table, and when Holly sat down across from Ivy, Rhys sat down beside Holly. He smiled brightly as he glanced over to make sure she was comfortably seated. They waited until after ordering to begin their conversation. Ivy was the first to break the ice.

"They have no idea what happened with Grandma's body," Ivy sighed. "The funeral home thinks they might have mixed up the bodies, and Grandma's body was possibly cremated accidently."

"That's horrible," Holly's frown was appropriate. Her eyes grew dark and glassy, and she almost started crying.

"It's okay, they didn't expect to do an autopsy," Ivy patted her hand. "So did you solve the mystery of the key?"

"Yes, we did," Rhys answered as Holly blotted at her eyes with a napkin. "But we went back today and everything was gone. It's becoming a real mystery."

"What was in the unit," Ivy wondered. As she asked their food was served, and everyone at the table became quiet.

"Some books," Rhys answered after he took a few bites, "some crystals."

"Rose has wondered for a while if Lily had some things stashed away somewhere," Ivy murmured, then looked up at Holly guiltily.

"It's okay, I understand you're loyalty to Rose," Holly shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"So what happened with the lottery ticket," Ivy asked to lighten the mood.

"We won," Rhys' smile was huge. "That's how I can afford this lunch."

"Why don't you buy Holly a new car and some new clothes?"

Rhys wondered if Ivy intended to sound that condescending. "I would love nothing more than to take your sister shopping," he said smoothly. "If she would allow me we could go after lunch. I noticed the mall is right next door."

Ivy's eyes squinted, and her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. Holly refused to smile at Rhys for putting her sister in her place, but she did gaze up into his eyes and almost purr, "I would love to go shopping with you today." Ivy actually grunted when she realized she wasn't invited.

Holly allowed Rhys to wrap his arm around her as they left the restaurant and walked toward the mall, leaving Ivy at her car. And inside the mall Rhys found the most expensive store, as rich men can, and asked the women who worked there to make over Holly. She had no idea how many thousands of dollars he spent on clothes, but when she left she was wearing a soft green peasant shirt and a darker green skirt. She had to admit she looked beautiful. Then he took her to a salon where Rhys asked the woman to tame her hair but not cut it. Then they went to a department store, and the ladies at the cosmetics counter ohhed and ahhed over her perfect complexion and beautiful hair. They sold Holly the makeup they'd used, then she picked out a floral scented perfume that cost way too much but smelled so wonderful.

When he saw her he could barely control himself. He wanted to pick her up and spin her around in the middle of the mall and kiss her. He didn't. But he did admit: "You have to be the prettiest thing I've ever seen." He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on her head.

"Prettier than Fflur?" He knit his brows together, thinking really hard about the question. She laughed and slapped his arm, then took his hand. "Where are you taking me tonight? I'm too dressed up to go home." They carried her bags back to his car. She made herself comfortable in the passenger side while he closed the trunk and climbed into the driver's side.

"What do you do for fun in Charleston?" His eyes were locked on her lips, which were painted red along with her fingernails.

"Well, we could go see a movie," she suggested.

He didn't want to sit in the dark beside her for two hours and not talk; he wanted to be able to look at her and talk to her. But then, he thought, maybe sitting in the dark beside her wouldn't be that bad; and after he could take her for ice cream. He was enjoying the thought as he stared at her red hair.

"We should go to the police department and report the theft at the storage unit," she reminded him.

"Why don't we have a good day today? We can claim the lottery money tomorrow, then after that we can go to the police department, okay?" He didn't want to interrupt their day together. "And anyway, what happens if you go to the police and they wonder why you have a key that isn't yours. And then wonder why Rose doesn't know about what's in the unit. What if they hunt down whoever stole the books, and gave them back to Rose instead of you," he reasoned.

"True," she fretted. She hadn't thought of that.

"And if you can't find out who did this with your super powers, what makes you think the cops will be able to," Rhys asked.

"I don't know," she sighed.

"Let's go see a movie," he patted her hand and started the car.

She refused to see anything with killing or explosions or car chases. He refused to see anything with a sappy love story. They finally agreed on a cartoon for kids, and they both laughed and enjoyed it thoroughly. He even held her hand through most of the movie, and he couldn't resist reaching up to touch her hair more than once.

"Did you enjoy that," Rhys asked as he took her hand and led her back to his car.

"Um hmm," she nodded.

"Would you like dinner, or ice cream," he offered.

"Both," she smiled happily, and she suggested a nearby Asian restaurant. She ate her weight in vegetable lo mein and eggrolls, then had enough ice cream for three people. He smiled happily as he watched her eat.

"So are you going to spend the night with me tonight, and go tomorrow morning to the lottery offices?" He wasn't sure if he wanted the temptation of her spending the night with him again.

"Why don't we meet in the morning," Holly suggested. "I think that would be better for us both."

"Okay," he sighed, and agreed. "What are we going to do with all this money," he thought aloud as they drove toward the storage unit.

"I don't know. What do you want to do with the money," she asked.

"I want a new car," he sighed, and began to say letters and numbers that she didn't understand, but he said it as if she should know. "I can't believe you don't have a list of wants a mile long."

"I honestly don't," she sighed and shook her head. "Thank you for my gifts today though. Everything is so nice." She waited until he parked his car beside hers, and placed her hand on his. "No one's ever done anything like this for me," she admitted as she looked deep in his eyes. "Thank you."

"You are quite welcome." His bright blue eyes sparkled. "It is from your windfall, after all. Good night, Celyn."

"Good night, Rhyfelwr," she replied with a grin. Her smile drew the breath out of him again, until she left the car and released him from the spell. As he watched her car pull away he dialed a number on his cell phone. "She's leaving the storage unit now. Follow her. I want to know where she is every minute of the day." He closed the line and shoved the phone into his pocket.

Holly didn't have to look in the mirror to know she was being followed. She did not drive to her grandmother's house, which was now her own house. She drove to her grimy little apartment and changed into a nightgown. She fed her bird. She checked her email and searched some web sites. She tried to distract herself from going to the window to validate her vision. went to bed.

Chapter Five

She did not leave the apartment the next morning. At 2 pm Rhys came to gather her. She was dressed in jeans and a plain white t-shirt when he arrived. "Celyn, what are you doing in this tiny apartment?" He asked when she let him in. "You didn't show up at the lottery office."

"I couldn't," she sighed. "What if someone found out I knew the numbers. Then my secret would be known."

"I would never tell anyone," he insisted as he cleared off a spot on her couch. "No one will ever know your secret. All your secrets are safe with me."

"All my secrets," she repeated. She stepped away from him and turned her attention to her birds.

"Either way the money has been claimed, and I will give you your half," he said as he looked around. "I will give you the money to buy a beautiful house."

"Money doesn't make you happy," she said again what she had told him before. And one of the beautiful white parrots repeated it.

"You haven't eaten," he told her as he looked around. "And don't say you have. It's after 2 pm and you haven't eaten all day. Let's get you some food and then we'll talk about the money."

"Okay," she nodded and grabbed her purse.

"You have beautiful new clothes," he said as he stared at her worn jeans and plain shirt. "Go put them on."

She almost laughed at his arrogant tone, but changed her mind and went to her bedroom as he ordered. She pulled her hair out of the bun, allowing it to flow down her back. Then she put on a black and white peasant shirt and a black skirt to match. She even made him wait as she put on the make-up they'd bought. She felt pretty, and she knew he would be attracted. Maybe then he would tell her his secrets.

She stepped into her living room and his heart stopped. He wished, more than anything, that she did not have that effect on him. He had a job to do, and she was totally interfering with his goal. He couldn't think straight while she was standing in front of him, posing in her new clothes and fishing for compliments.

"You look so pretty I don't have words to say how beautiful I think you are," he whispered in Welsh. Her eyebrows raised, her eyes grew wide, and she nodded.

"Don't smile at me or I may have a heart attack," he said, again in Welsh. She laughed, and grabbed his shoulders.

"Stop that," she teased him and shook his shoulders. "Snap out of it." She opened the door and walked outside to his car, hoping that the distance from him would help him recover. She knew why he was here. She knew his plan and what his father told him to do. And she knew what he had already done. But she needed him to tell her.

He took a deep breath and followed her outside. She locked the door behind her, and climbed into his car. It was becoming routine, and she was very comfortable with him. He decided on a Mexican restaurant, and he even pointed out the vegetarian dishes for her. As they ate he finally asked, "What are we going to do with all this money?"

"Well there are several charities I like," she answered after chewing a bite of vegetarian fajitas. He shook his head and groaned. "We could feed starving children in Africa."

"There are kids starving here," he complained.

"We could plant trees," she continued.

"Have you looked out the window? There are 100 trees to every person in West Virginia," he laughed. "There isn't a spot of grass in this state that doesn't have a tree growing on it."

"We could give to Peta," she shrugged.

"Only if you appear nude in an ad," he said suggestively. She had to laugh at that one.

"Surely there is some charity you like," she questioned.

"I will give to the church," he nodded. "I will give to a children's charity in Wales." He continued when she stared. "I don't know. I haven't got past buying my own private helicopter. Do you know how fast I could get around the UK in a helicopter?"

"Why don't you just buy a castle while you're at it," she rolled her pretty green eyes.

"I just might," he shrugged. When they were finished he drove her to pick out a new electric car. When they found a dealer and consulted a salesman he ordered a car for her with all the latest options, in bright red. She would be able to pick it up in a week. And although she found it thoughtful, it was really too expensive a gift.

On the drive back to her apartment he became philosophical and asked, "What does make you happy?"

She gazed over at him, wondering. "What do you mean?"

"You keep saying money doesn't make you happy, what does make you happy?"

"Nature," she said with a shrug.

"Nature," he countered. "Do you gaze into the eyes of a tree? Hold hands with a fish?"

"Gaze lovingly at a sunrise?" She asked. "Listen to the whispers of wind through the trees? Listening to birds singing? Or the babbling of brooks?"

"Yes, but can you hold nature in your hand," he argued.

"You can, if you believe," she stated in a low voice.

"Perhaps you can," he sighed. "I would like to see you again tomorrow," he asked as he parked beside her car.

She placed her hand on his shoulder as she stared at the door of her apartment. "There's something wrong," she gasped as she quickly exited the car. She ran to her door. He followed after her, but she put her hand up as she turned her doorknob. It opened without her unlocking it. She glanced inside to see her pretty birds dead in their cages.

She put her arm out to halt him then shook her head. She closed the door and locked it behind her. "Gas, from the stove," Holly sighed.

"Who did it?" Rhys asked. Holly sat quietly for several moments. He couldn't tell if she didn't know, or didn't want to say. "Rose?" He wondered aloud, if she didn't know then it had to be Rose.

"Ivy," she groaned. Then she took her phone out of her purse and called her landlord. The gas would have to be turned off before she could get inside to get her things, or take care of her birds. The landlord told her he would take care of it, and to wait a day or two and call him back. "Thank you," she said as she turned to Rhys.

"Let's go back to the mall," he shrugged. After she had new clothes for the next week, including new underwear and a nightgown, plus all the toiletries she would need, he drove back to his hotel and booked her a room. And, surprise, he got the room next to his. "Your doing?" He asked as he helped her carry her bags to her room.

"I'm not omnipotent," she corrected him.

"Well that makes me feel better," he laughed, a little nervous. "I'm not even going to ask what you can do." He stared at her and shook his head, proving to her he didn't want to know.

They had such a late lunch she didn't really want dinner. But when he offered to get a bottle of wine and some cheese and fruit from room service she agreed. When he didn't return to his own room, instead pacing around her sitting room, she said nothing. And after the wine was brought up, and he finally settled down, she stared at him, urging him to say what was on his mind.

"There is something I need to say," he finally spoke. "I'm sure you already know." He groaned, and avoided her eyes. "Do I have to say it?"

"Yes," she nodded solemnly. "Yes, you have to say it."

"You know," he murmured. It wasn't a statement or a question. It was a proclamation of faith.

"I'm not a messiah," she insisted, her green eyes turning the color of wet moss.

"You can change the world, though." He knew it was true. She only shrugged. "I stole the books from the storage unit."

She had been waiting for his admission. And now that he had it felt anti-climactic. "Do you want to tell me why?"

"It's Welsh history," he offered, with cold icy eyes and a voice a little higher than normal. "I wanted to look at the Ceridwen book."

At least that part was true, she knew. After admitting what he had done he raced to his room to gather the books. When he entered her room, he entered through the adjoining door, and left it open. He joined her on the couch, so close their thighs and shoulders touched.

"Do you read Welsh," he asked seriously. "Be honest."

"No, I don't read it," she admitted with wide eyes. "But I understand it when you speak it."

"Okay, I will read it in Welsh," he agreed. And while he read, in his rich baritone voice, she felt as if she were in the fairy tale. The words, so foreign sounding, were also comforting to her. She remembered her grandmother speaking it to her when she was small, until Rose forbade it. Only after Holly was 14 and in high school did Lily begin her instruction again. While Rose thought Holly was going to school every day, Lily had arranged to have her home schooled, and most every day took her to the house in the hills.

She knew the Ceridwen story by heart, it was her favorite after all, but hearing him read it gave it a whole new dimension. Hearing it read in Ceridwen's own language by a native speaker gave her goose bumps.

Ceridwen was a beautiful woman and mother who used her knowledge of herbs and potions to create magical potions. She made a potion gave her great wisdom, and the ability to change her shape into any animal. She was the first Welsh druidess.

"It's amazing how much different that sounds in your accent," she interrupted him. "Your voice is taking me away to a different time."

"I think you belong in a different time." Those green eyes stopped his heart again, and he reached out to touch her hair. His lips parted, and slowly, by centimeters at a time, his lips grew closer to hers. He waited for her to tell him no. He waited for any indication that she was not ready. He wanted her to say stop, because he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't think. He didn't even know if he was breathing.

His lips brushed hers and her entire body tingled. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. And butterflies were released in her stomach. He pulled back and stared at her; hands folded in her lap, lips parted, and back straight as a steel rod. Her eyes said yes, but her body said no. So he closed his eyes and moved toward her again. He waited for her to move toward him, but she did not. So with his hand in her hair he gently pulled her toward him. His lips brushed against hers again, and she made a soft purring sound in the back of her throat.

He felt fire spread across his chest, down his stomach, and farther down. He knew he shouldn't feel that way with her. He knew she was innocent. He knew she was a virgin. He knew he had to control himself and NOT let things get out of hand. But could he just kiss her, just hold her, and not let it go as far as he wanted it to.

His lips hovered over hers, just barely touching. She didn't have the experience to deepen the kiss, and he had too many reservations. "Why won't you," she asked.

"You scare the hell out of me," he whispered. She gasped, stiffened, then stood up. His eyes grew wide when he realized what he said, and what he made her think. "I don't mean like that." But the spell was broken again, and he didn't know whether to be upset or thankful. "I think its bedtime," he groaned, and walked toward the door between their rooms. "I'm sorry. I'm really not afraid of you." He sauntered through the door, but left it open and made it to the bedroom. He closed the door, then walked to the bed and sat down. He wished he hadn't said what he did.

She refused to dwell on what he said. She instead showered slowly, dressed in her new gown, and went to bed.

She hated the hotel room, hated not having a window in her bedroom. She tossed and turned in her bed until she put on the robe that matched the gown and left the room and to stand on her terrace. "Couldn't sleep again?" He asked from the other terrace.

"Do you ever sleep?" She wondered as she glanced over at him.

"I don't like hotel rooms," he sighed.

"I need a window to sleep. I need to see the sky." She felt like she could finally breathe looking out at the river.

"Sleep on the couch," he suggested.

"Hmmmm," she shrugged.

"Or you could get a blanket and fall asleep on the terrace. I had to carry you inside the last time you fell asleep out here." Just the thought of him carrying her anywhere made her smile.

"What do you have planned tomorrow," she wondered aloud. She wasn't ready to go back inside just yet.

"I have a plant to tour tomorrow. Sadly enough I have to work." He really did sound sad that he had to work.

"I'll find something to do with myself," she smiled back. She stood by the rail of her terrace and gazed at the waning moon. Only a sliver was missing, but that sliver was very important to Holly. Every sliver of the moon that disappeared meant she was another day closer to the new moon. She really hoped he wouldn't have her followed, that she could return to her grandmother's home. There were situations she needed to prepare for, and she needed to do it before the new moon.

She shivered a little, knowing what she faced. "If you're cold you should go inside. I could read to you until you fall asleep." His voice was full of mischief, treating her like a child.

"I don't need a bedtime story." Her voice was stiff. But she did want to feel close to him again, as she did while he read to her earlier. She hated the feelings warring inside her. She knew what she needed to do; and she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to walk through the door that separated their room and sit beside him on his terrace. But she didn't. "I think I'll go sleep on the couch."

"Do you want me to come tuck you in?"

She decided to say yes, just to test him. How far would he go, she wondered. "Okay, come tuck me in," she challenged him. In just a few moments he was in the room with her, gathering the blanket and pillow out of the closet as if he was a pro. He placed the pillow and blanket on the couch and stood beside it waiting for her to join him.

"Come on," he goaded as he patted the pillow.

Her shoulders drooped as she walked toward the couch. She hadn't expected him to call her bluff. She fell onto the couch, then he pulled the blanket up around her. "Do you want a cup of warm milk? I can call room service."

"I'm not a child," she reminded him again, but her bottom lip protruded. He laughed as she looked like a pouty little girl.

He kissed her forehead and rubbed her hair. "Good night, child," he sighed as he walked toward his room.

She heard him walking around in his room even though he was being quiet. She stayed on the couch, even when he walked into her room to check on her. He gazed at her for several moments before he returned to his room then went out the door.

As soon as he left she jumped off the couch. She knew it couldn't be after 9 am, and she wondered if Rhys ever slept. She showered and dressed quickly, folding her new clothes and placing them back in the store bags. Then she gathered up her grandmother's books out of Rhys' room. She didn't think stealing something from someone who stole it from her could get her in trouble. They were her books now. Lily's will would be read after the Equinox, and hopefully then Holly could be safe.

Then she pulled out her cell phone and called Gilbert. She hatched a plan before she went to sleep, and as she drove away from the hotel she realized it was needed. Rhys had her followed again, and she stared in the mirror at the plain black sedan and the plain driver.

She pulled into the parking lot at the mall, gathered her new clothes and the books out of her car, and walked toward the entrance. She noticed the black sedan follow her and park several rows away, but with a good view of her car and the exit. She walked through the mall and out another door, to the first floor of the garage where Gilbert had parked her grandmother's truck. She got in and drove away toward her grandmother's house, wondering how long the man would sit and watch her car.

At about 4:30 Rhys called her cell phone. She sat on the back patio of the house, bird watching, when she answered. "Where are you? You left the hotel, took all your clothes, and didn't tell me. What's up, Holly?"

"I have to work this evening. I'm sorry I should have told you," she lied.

"Holly I was just at the restaurant, they told me you haven't worked since last week. That you put in your two weeks notice two weeks before your grandmother died." His frustration rang through his voice. "Are you going to tell me the truth?"

"Are you going to tell me the truth, Rhys?" Her voice was calm, cold. But for the first time she could remember, her insides were on fire. "I really hoped I'd finally found an ally. After you shared that you stole Lily's books, I'd hoped that we'd be able to form a partnership. But I can't trust you, Rhys, until you tell me everything."

He sighed loudly. She knew, he said to himself. Of course she knew, she knew everything, including the winning numbers to the lottery. He stood on the terrace of his hotel room and stared at the river. It almost reminded him of home. But what did she mean about a partnership? Was that his opening? Was there something she needed from him? "What do you mean by partnership?" Once he'd formed the thought he couldn't stop himself from answering it.

"I thought you might be able to help me, with some things I need to do." She needed to give him some bait to reel him in. She needed him on her side, she knew that. But she couldn't tell him that. She couldn't tell him she needed his help to save the world.

Then he would have the power to make demands. She couldn't allow that… yet. She'd hoped her looks would be enough to entice him, but he held back. And she knew why. He wanted what he believed she had. And he would not be able to go back home unless he got it, or tore her life apart to prove she didn't have it. She'd hoped giving him the lottery money would break his father's hold on him. But it was more than money that gripped Rhys' heart. And it was the same thing that held hers as well.

"I have a hard time believing you need help with anything, Holly." The same emotion leaked through into his voice when he said it, the fear that told her he would have difficulty trusting her.

"If you can't believe me, you can't help me," she sighed.

"Meet me somewhere, in public, and let's work this out. Apparently it's important to both of us," he offered.

"Okay, I can do that." She nodded. "Meet me at the restaurant where I worked in two hours." She had dressed carefully before she sat down on the porch in a soft green jersey dress that hugged her curves and silver sandals. She even curled her hair and put on make-up. She knew she looked wonderful, but Rhys would find her stunning.

She tucked the bag she'd packed into her trunk. Then she climbed into her car, which Gilbert had retrieved for her, and started it up. She hoped that by the end of the evening she'd seduce him to her side. If not, she'd have to give him the slip some other way, or return back to her apartment. She said a little prayer to the Goddess, then drove out of her cocoon and into uncertainty. She knew she had less than two weeks, and nothing in the next few days would be easy.

She parked in front of the restaurant, stepped out of her car, and adjusted her dress. As she walked in the door she heard the hostesses hush. They all stared blankly at her, as if they'd never seen her before. It was okay, she didn't mind. She simply smiled as she walked past them and toward the bar.

Jacob stared as she approached, and she giggled. "Hey, Jacob, what's going on?" He recognized the voice, and it took him only a few moments to figure it out.

"Holly, is that you?" She nodded. "Look at you, all gorgeous. If I had known I would have…" he let the thought trail off as he gazed at her.

"Quit that," she said a little sternly. "Have you seen him?"

"Him who?" He wondered aloud. "Oh, the guy from the other evening? I should have known this was all about a guy," he chuckled. "No, he's not here yet. Take a seat at the bar and let me look at you until he gets here."

She blushed nearly as red as her hair. He brought her a glass of wine, and she thanked him with a smile. She knew the moment he entered, there was another notable hush. She turned toward the door, and she had to hold her breath to keep from gasping.

He looked incredible. His dark hair wisped to the side with just a little hanging down. He had a hint of a 5 o'clock shadow which made him look more gruff than usual. And he wore tight black jeans and a coal black sweater that matched his hair and made his eyes pop. She realized she needed the wine, and drank half of it quickly.

"Hi, gorgeous," he said sweetly, and patted the top of her head.

"Hi yourself," she grinned. "You should wear black more often. It really makes your eyes shine."

"Thank you," he said with sincerity. "I had no idea." When he said it she knew he was kidding. He'd worn it to look good for her. That made her blush again and she tried to hide it by taking another drink of wine.

"Are you hungry?" He didn't have to ask.

"I could eat," she nodded, and stood as he guided her to a table in the corner.

"What can I bring you to drink? Another glass of wine? And for you?" If Holly had an ounce of arrogance in her she would be loving this moment. A girl named Anisa waited on them; the beautiful blonde who always looked perfect and never had a hair out of place. The waitress who everyone tried to hit on, but she thought she was too good for anyone and turned them all down. The girl who constantly picked on Holly about her hair, or her height, or anything she could think of at the time. And she was sure that Anisa was eating her heart out right now seeing Holly in the restaurant, looking pretty, with the most gorgeous guy in the place.

Holly gave Anisa one of the smiles that she reserved for special occasions, and she thought she saw the other girl snarl. "What would you like, dear," Holly asked and put her hand on his sleeve.

"I think I'll have one of those Mexican beers, darling," Rhys replied lightly, and turned to gaze at Holly. Anisa turned on her heels and disappeared. "Is that how you wanted me to answer, darling?"

"Thanks," she nodded, and finished off her wine. She had a feeling she was going to need all she could get. Anisa brought their drinks quickly as they were the only couple in the bar. And she smiled brightly at Rhys, but he couldn't look away from Holly. She had him captivated.

They both ordered food, and Holly was happy for the distraction of an appetizer. "So, are you going to tell me, or are you going to make me wait again?"

"I can't just tell you in the middle of the restaurant. It's not something you announce in a public place." She crinkled her nose and shook her head. "I've spent most of my life protecting my secret."

"Are you going to tell me your secrets? Because I think it's time we were honest with each other." She stared deeply into his bright blue eyes. "Yes, even me."

"Tell me one thing you haven't told me yet," she challenged.

"I was in love with your Great-grandmother since I was very little," he said with a blush and turned his gaze toward his food. He shook his head at the thought. "Even until recently sometimes I would see her in my dreams. But then…" the words trailed off until he turned to look at her. "You look just like her. It's stunning really."

"Tell me the story," she prodded.

"You probably already know it," he said shyly. She could imagine him a school boy in love with a fantasy woman. "Okay," he took a deep breath. "My great-grandfather was getting along in age. He lived in one wing of the estate, with my grandfather and grandmother, and my father's family lived in the other wing." When he said the word estate the image came quickly to her mind. The house was a huge country estate, with a beautiful stone courtyard and lush gardens. She could see a young Rhys playing in the orchard with his brother, chasing after a small dog.

"When I say that Angwyn's apartments were off limits, it's putting it mildly. Sternly we were warned not to go there. But one day at lunch he pointed me out, and insisted I joined him for a cookie after. I was so excited about the adventure I could barely contain it. Over the hearth in his apartment was a painting of the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

He gazed at her, and she nodded. "Fflur, Lily's mother."

"Flower was her name, but there was nothing flowery about her. She should have been named Fflam. Her hair was as red as flames." He reached out to take a handful of Holly's hair in his hand. "As red as yours."

Lily told Holly all about her red-haired mother. She was so proud of her mother's beauty and power.

"And he was so in love with her. He pointed out the red dragon on her pendant, and told me that she had tamed the dragon and put it on the flag. I was transfixed. And on the dragon was a beautiful red stone in his claws. He gave it to her, along with other possessions that he shouldn't have given her, and she took them along with his heart to America."

"She was probably saving his life," she sighed. "Men don't live long around the women in my family."

"He wouldn't have cared. He would have given her every moment had she stayed." He still caressed her hair.

"You're here to reclaim what was his, aren't you," Holly stated.

"Yes," he nodded, and released her hair.

"Can we go back to your hotel," she wondered. "Did you give away my room?"

"No, I still have your room," he chuckled. He reached into his pocket and placed several bills on the table, then he led her out the door. She waved at a stunned Jacob on the way out.

She placed her bags gently into his trunk, then climbed into his passenger seat. As they were driving, she admitted it. "Lily was your great-grandfather's daughter." His eyes grew wide with shock, but he didn't turn away from the road. "She told me years ago. Lily said she was better than Fflur at only one thing." When he turned to her, she nodded; "herbs, potions, and all things science and chemistry."

"Are you a witch," he wondered aloud.

"I believe I am; half, anyway." She turned from him to stare out the window. "I never met my father, but Lily told me he was a very powerful Wiccan."

"And that's a bad thing," he prompted. She nodded. "Because your family are…" She bit her lip and refused to answer. "Druids."

"Druidess," she corrected him.

He tried not to laugh. "Like Stonehenge?

"Yes, like Stonehenge." She slapped his arm for laughing. "Don't laugh at me, alchemist." She said it as if it were a curse.

"Now the truth is known," he said as he parked the car but did not get out. "Finally the word is spoken; might as well say charlatan, or fraud."

"I would never call an alchemist a fraud," she said, and tried not to laugh. "Honestly. I know the power Lily had." She glanced around the parking lot. "Shall we go up?"

He nodded. He helped her with her bags, and silently they rode up the elevator until they were finally in the safety of his room.

"I need you, alchemist," she said as she slowly opened the bag and placed the items on the end table. "Help me save the world."

Chapter Six

"Fflur brought Angwyn's things to the US because he was very powerful, almost as powerful as Fflur herself. It made her very nervous to be around him. You know, normal men she could play with like toys. Angwyn could hold his own with her, and she hated that." She stole a glance at him as she pulled out the black velvet bag, about as big as her palm, weighing about a pound. She placed it on the table, then pulled out a small iron cauldron, and a black iron post with three copper chains attached. Then she pulled out a tiny leather bound book, and placed it beside the cauldron.

"It's Angwyn's," he said as he picked it up and flipped through it. The pages were fragile, handwritten in Welsh in Angwyn's bold penmanship. She nodded. "Then this must be…" He took the velvet bag and hesitantly pulled it open. His hands actually shook. The small black stone appeared to be just like any other flat uncut gem. Until he placed it in his hands, and it glowed a soft violet. She felt a tingle run up the back of her neck, like a tiny electric shock. She winced a little, and closed her eyes. She was prepared for it, but still it hurt.

The first time she held it, although Lily warned her not to go near it, it shocked her as if she'd touched a light socket with a fork. She wanted to drop it, but her muscles wouldn't work. That's when Lily found her and grabbed it out of her hand with a soft piece of velvet and placed it back in the bag. She still remembered the little streaks of purple lightening inside the black stone when she held it. She was 1/8 alchemist, after all.

"Does it hurt," she wondered reverently. "The time I picked it up I couldn't move."

"It doesn't hurt," he whispered. "It tingles, like static electricity."

"I feel it too," she admitted, and immediately knew why Fflur was so vulnerable around Angwyn.

"So, this is it; Geber's philosopher's stone." He said it proudly, and held it up in his hand to admire it. When he did another tinge of energy flew up Holly's spine. The stone had the power to incapacitate her, at least for a short time if he tried. That was what she was counting on. The lights in the room all flickered, then the three closest to him made a pop, and burnt out.

"And what do you want me to do with it?" When he turned to look at her, his eyes had changed from sky blue to dark violet, and she wondered if it was an effect from the light in the stone, or if it was the stone's effect on him.

"Harness the 7th Ray and create a way to remove Rose's powers," she stated with authority. Then she realized if he could do that, he could remove her own powers as well. Would it be worth losing her power, her connection with nature and with the Goddess to remove Rose as a threat? She just had to have faith in Rhys that he wouldn't do that. The 7th Ray was the fabled power of the electromagnetic radiation of the ultraviolet spectrum of visible light. But from what Holly was experiencing, it was not a fable or a myth. She could feel it coursing through her veins.

"You're asking a lot of me. I don't know if even Angwyn learned to do that. I'll have to study his notebook." He placed the stone on the table, then picked up Angwyn's notes. The purple light was gone, and so was the electricity that ran through her body. She knew the stone had the power to affect her nervous system, and that was the electric current she felt. Then she corrected herself. The stone sat lifeless on the table as Rhys became distracted with Angwyn's notes. It wasn't the stone that had the power. It was the beautiful man sitting across from her. And that scared her even more.

The notebook transported him to another world, a world from his childhood where his grandfather told him about spells and potions and elixirs. He'd only half believed the stories, even when Angwyn took him to a section of the basement hidden behind the wine cellar and showed him his laboratory. It was full of glass tubes and copper wires, bubbling liquids, and rows and rows of glass jars full of things that Rhys couldn't fathom. One of the bottles was marked "Dragon Tears". It was not very likely that Angwyn had a bottle full of dragon tears, he had assured himself.

Angwyn didn't take much interest in teaching Iolyn, and although Eira had the aptitude, Angwyn refused to teach a girl. So Rhys would have to do. From his sessions with Angwyn Rhys' love of chemistry grew. And although he still wanted to be a warrior, out slaying dragons and rescuing fair maidens, he decided to go to university and become a chemist. Throughout his years learning chemistry he'd nearly forgotten Angwyn's lessons, until now.

Every word in his note book was a reminder, as if he was actually inside the lab. He could smell the sulfur and bismuth and vinegar and all the rest of the many elements Angwyn would have cooking. He stayed there for several hours, not moving, engulfed in his reading and his memories. Holly watched for a while, until her eyes grew heavy and she fell into a deep sleep.

In her sleep she felt Fflur's moss green eyes on her. She stood inside Rhys' manor with curls in her hair and a pretty white dress with a crinoline underskirt. She stared up at the painting in Angwyn's apartment, but instead of Fflur it was Holly, wearing the dragon pendant with the red stone. She'd never seen it in all of Lily's possessions, and she wondered, no feared that Fflur had worn the necklace when she was cremated.

Then she thought of the tree near the house that Lily had planted after she burned her mother's body, just as Holly had burned Lily's. She saw herself in her jeans and t-shirt digging at the roots of the tree, and digging, but not finding it. She knew it was there, though. She just had to keep digging. Then she turned to see Fflur behind her, holding the necklace out to her. Fflur was more beautiful than even Holly could imagine. Her lips were red as berries, her hair glowing like fire, and her skin as white as alabaster. Everything about Fflur was flawless and perfect. And she called to her softly, "Holly."

"Holly," he said again, this time he shook her shoulder. "Holly." She opened her eyes to find his sky blue and staring back at her. And for some reason, she couldn't stop herself. She reached her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. He groaned and pulled away, but he closed his eyes, and then his hands were in her hair pulling her toward him. She wanted to kiss him so badly for so long. It felt like she floated toward him. And then he opened his eyes to look into hers, and they were deep violet, and the closer he came the more she tingled, and when his lips touched hers her heart stopped.

She jumped, and woke herself up.

She searched for a window, but found only Rhys sitting on the couch of his hotel room, still studying Angwyn's book. "What time is it," she wondered aloud, to remind him she was there.

It still took him a full second to move his gaze from the book to her. "Fall asleep on me, did you," he asked with a smile. "Oh goodness, it's after 4 in the morning. I guess we should both get some sleep." But he didn't move, and soon his gaze returned to the book.

"Okay, I'm headed to bed," she stated, and made her way to the door between their rooms. "Good night," she muttered as she quietly closed it.

At 6:25 he was tapping at the door to her bedroom. "Holly, I think I've got it," he said, and quietly let himself in. "I think I know how to do it."

He sat down on the bed beside her to shake her shoulder, but his heart stopped when he saw her. She looked like a child in her sleep, hand tucked under her cheek, red hair in a sleek braid down her back. And then for some reason, he imagined holding her baby, with a head full of red hair like her mother. He caressed her cheek lightly, then his hand moved to her braid.

She jumped awake as she normally did. Her eyes flew open and stared into his. For a moment she wanted to reach up to him. Then she remembered her dream. "What's wrong," she yawned, then rubbed her eyes.

"I know how to do it," he exclaimed. "I know how to harness the power of the 7th Ray."

"That's exciting," she growled. "Couldn't it wait until morning?"

"It is morning." He playfully pulled on her braid.

"Couldn't it wait until later in the morning," she stressed and closed her eyes.

"That's fine," he shrugged. "Go back to bed, sleepy head. I'll just go to Wales without you."

"Wales?" She cried out and sat straight up in the bed.

"No, you sleep now. I'll wake you when I've returned," he chuckled.

"Why are you going to Wales?" She, who thought she knew everything, was suddenly stumped.

"Unless you know where to get fur from the tail of a griffin, we will need to go to Wales," he insisted.

"There is no such thing as griffins," she sighed.

"I never imagined you as a non-believer," he smiled and patted her head. "Come along, we have work to do if we are going to save the world." He said it with a laugh. She knew it was no laughing matter.

"Griffins," she sighed, and slipped out of bed.

Chapter Seven

They sat side by side in first class, Rhys sipping champagne, Holly trying to read a book. But she couldn't concentrate. She was nervous about visiting Wales. Lily had always wanted to go, to meet her father, but Fflur forbade it. She said that it would be too dangerous for Lily. But Holly believed, deep down, that Fflur was afraid that she would lose Lily. And besides, the ceremonies required two druidesses. As long as Lily was alive, there were two druidesses for each ceremony.

She had assumed that Rose and Ivy held their own ceremonies, as Lily and Holly held theirs. And that was part of the reason that Lily began to instruct Holly when she was 10. Rose and Lily were in a power struggle, and when Ivy turned 17, Rose decided to perform the rituals with Ivy and not Lily. If Lily had no one to perform the rituals with, she would lose her powers. But at 10 Holly had already shown signs of being more powerful than her mother; because of her strong Wiccan blood Lily would say.

Rose hated that Holly's father was a Wiccan, because she knew deep down that Holly would be more powerful. Rose had no idea she was even pregnant until she was 7 months along. And by that time, it was too late for her to have an abortion. She tried potions to cause a miscarriage, but they were not strong enough to remove the seed from her womb. She had been defeated by a tiny baby, and there was nothing she could do, until it was born. But Lily was there, and strong enough to protect the baby from her mother. Holly winced, then stared out the window.

Rhys was nice enough to give her the window seat, as he had flown many times, and this was Holly's first. "Are you okay," Rhys asked, and patted her hand.

"Yes, I'm fine," she sighed. The feeling of knowing that she was not wanted by her mother no longer had the power to hurt her. She'd known it most of her life. "It's just…"

"Are you airsick, dear," he asked as he gazed into her eyes.

"No." She was over the irrational fear she had at first that humans were not meant to fly. "I'm just…"

"Nervous about meeting my family?" He said it with a glint in his eyes.

"Technically, they are my family as well," she insisted.

"Quite right," he nodded. "Angwyn would have loved you." He patted her hand, as if she were a child.

"We are cousins, after all," Holly sighed.

"Techincally," he shrugged. "Most royal families marry cousins, to keep the blood line intact." And then he stared at her for several moments, then turned away to ask for another glass of wine.

"Do alchemists marry other alchemists," Holly wondered. She realized she'd said it aloud when she turned to look at Rhys and he held his wine glass half way to his mouth.

"Alchemists are made, not born," he corrected her. "It takes training, and hours of study."

"Hmmm…" was her reply.

"Don't hmmm… There's no hmmm. It's a fact."

"Whatever you want to think," she laughed.

"It's not up for debate," he argued. "You aren't just an alchemist, like you're Indian or Welsh or American."

"Okay," she said and turned back to the window. "Hand me the stone," she challenged after several moments.

"Here on the plane, in front of everyone?" He looked around to see that most of the passengers in first class were all asleep.

"Yes, here." She put her hand out. The stone was in his pocket. There was no way he was letting it out of his sight.

The TSA agents had a field day with it for about five minutes, until one of them said, "It's just a rock," and waved him through. Thank God they didn't ask him to take it out of the bag, or they would have had a lot of explaining to do.

"If you don't think I have the same power as you, then you shouldn't worry about me holding it."

Their eyes locked for several moments as he thought about it. He knew she'd already held it, she'd admitted as much. He also knew the power the stone held. If she caused some kind of electromagnetic disruption that crashed the plane he'd never forgive himself.

"Not on the plane," he hissed.

She shrugged. "Fine, but once we've landed, I'll prove it."

"Fine," he replied. They sounded like children. And then he didn't speak to her for an hour. And when he did he asked, "Do you want these headphones?"

"No, thank you," she replied coolly.

They didn't speak for another hour. It was killing him to be sitting beside her and not talking to her. He'd grown so used to her companionship.

"Would you like a snack," he offered. She didn't answer. He realized then that she had fallen asleep. He motioned for a stewardess and asked for a blanket. Then he tucked her in, and fell asleep with his hand on hers.

At some point she turned into his body, her head lay on his shoulder, and her hand went around his waist. She was having the most amazing dream, she was in a cocoon, safe and warm and protected. She felt soon she would emerge as a butterfly, with wings like rainbows. She felt whole.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she realized she was wrapped in his arms. _His_ arms were around her shoulders, holding her close against his chest as she slept. It was the most amazing feeling she'd ever experienced. She felt a warm glow spread over her body, from her stomach to her chest. Then she remembered her dream, when he opened his eyes and they were violet, and she started to panic. She tried to pull away, but he held her closer. She tried to calm herself down, but she couldn't.

"Quit wiggling," he admonished. "You're like a puppy who can't sit still."

She'd never been called a puppy before. She didn't know if it was cute, or weird. But she knew the easiest way to get him to release her. "I need to go to the bathroom," she stated.

Immediately he was repositioning himself to allow her out of the seat. She stared at herself in the mirror, trying to figure everything out. But she couldn't. There was no reason to anything happening between her and Rhys. Lily would be furious if she knew she'd given him the stone to take back to Wales, without anything in return. She would also be furious if she knew Holly was going back to Wales with him.

Closing her eyes and thinking of the paintings on her bedroom walls, she knew she would end up there eventually. She just wished it wasn't in this situation. She returned to her seat, immediately on guard again. "So tell me again why we're going to Wales?"

"Why don't you try to go back to sleep. We won't land for another 2 hours." When she pulled away from him he knew that it would be pointless to try to hold her as they slept again. He had the dream again, the dream where Fflur was replaced by Celyn, her fiery hair blazing as she... He closed his eyes and tried to recapture the dream, but it was gone. He turned away from her and tried to sleep, thinking of Celyn.

She watched the English countryside glide by from the window of the train. They'd had an uneventful landing at Heathrow, said nearly nothing to each other as they gathered their bags, and ate a silent breakfast. As she sat by the window she asked again. "Tell me why we're going to Wales."

"To get your mythic 7th Ray to defeat your mother." He reminded her smoothly. She still felt uneasy. "You're a born alchemist, remember," he teased her. "I can't do this on my own."

"Can't your father," she turned to look at him. Then she remembered what he said about alchemists being made, not born. "Is your father like you?"

"He thinks its all rubbish." Rhys shook his head. "I did too. You know my grandfather Bowen who passed before his father wanted to learn, but didn't have the ability. Angwyn was so disappointed."

She hadn't thought of what life would be like not being a druidess, not being special. She hadn't thought of what it would be like to be normal. "Hand me the stone," she challenged him again. He took the small velvet bag out of his pocket. "I won't be able to speak, or move. So after you see it, you need to take it out of my hand please."

He nodded, then he emptied the stone into her hand. She heard a slight crackling, saw the lights overhead flicker, then pop. She felt the electricity move from her hand to her elbow, her shoulder, then up her neck. She looked into his eyes willing him to take it away from her. For a half second his eyes grew wide. Then he took the stone, and the feeling weakened then moved down her spine. Finally when the stone was back inside the black velvet bag she was free.

"Okay, I believe you," he whispered in her ear as he looked up at the light in their private car. "Your eyes were the most beautiful violet blue." His voice shook as he said it.

"It doesn't hurt you to touch it," she asked him again. She couldn't believe the effect it had on her, like everything inside her hurt and shut down at the same time

"Not at all." He slipped it into his pocket. "But I know now that you will be a big help during the process."

"How do you know," she shivered. "What if…" She couldn't say it. "What if as you're doing it I lose my powers completely?"

"I hadn't thought of that," he shook his head.

"I have," she admitted. "I've thought of it since you held the stone in your hand, and your eyes turned purple, and I felt the ripples up my spine."

"Then we'll have to be very careful," he said solemnly.

"This is why Fflur escaped to America." She bit her lip and stared out the window. "Angwyn had that power too. It's very scary."

"I won't hurt you," he assured her. "I swear. I'll never hurt you."

"But you could." Her voice was assertive for the first time.

"You could do all sorts of things to me," he rolled his eyes. "You could probably pull the blood right out of my body if you tried."

She thought about that particular torture for several moments. "If only we could cut a little piece of that into a necklace and send it to Rose."

"That's the plan my dear." He tried to put a devious glint in his sky blue eyes, but it just made him appear a little crazy.

"Mad scientist," she laughed, and thankfully so did he. "Are you really going to cut the stone?" He knew she was concerned he might do it.

"No, not at all," he said with that same crazy glint. "We're going to make another one."

"Oh, is that all," she sighed. "Perhaps we can make a unicorn while we're at it. Or maybe build another Atlantis."

"You and I together can do this. Trust me, we can do anything." The crazy glint in his eyes almost scared her. Almost.

The manor was beautiful, but just a little creepy. It looked like one of those houses they use for sets of gothic scary movies. There were even gargoyles on the eaves of the roof. "Warlock Manor," he said as they approached.

She looked over at him to see if he was telling the truth. "Really?"

"Isn't as fitting as Alchemist Manor; but yes, that's what the villagers call it."

She nearly laughed out loud. "You have villagers?" The house wasn't just big, it was huge. She'd seen hotels smaller than this house. "How many people live here?"

"Well in the family there is grandma Elizabeth, my father and mother, my brother Iolyn and his new wife Gemma, and my sister Eira."

"So only six people live in a house that size? That's crazy!" She couldn't even begin to gauge the size of the house, because the back of the house had several wings that made it three times bigger than the front. "I think the house is growing!"

He laughed. "I used to think that when I was little. I'd see a room I hadn't seen before and I would think someone was building rooms every day." The hired car pulled up in front of the house, and a lady came to the door. She looked every bit the country lady, wearing a high fashion navy and white dress that hit precisely at the bottom of her knee. She was blonde, and gorgeous, with sun-kissed skin and light brown eyes. As they climbed the several steps to the marble landing Holly became nervous. The landing was filled with plants that made Holly shudder, and statues that were somewhat grotesque.

She wanted to investigate further, but Rhys gently took her elbow and led her up the second set of steps to the house. That's when she came into the shadow of the house, and she felt for a second the sun had totally disappeared. "Come along," he encouraged.

"I'm frightened," she admitted.

"It is a bit ominous," he acknowledged. "But nothing is going to hurt you in there. Trust me?" He was so sincere. His blue eyes flashed even in the shadow.

She nodded and followed him up to the entrance where his mother waited. "Welcome to Caernarfon Manor," she spoke in an elegant accent almost like Rhys', but much more refined. I am Viscountess Caernarfon, but you may call me Lady Tegan."

"Mother, really," he said with a sigh.

"You're a viscount?" The word seemed as foreign as the idea that Rhys was royalty.

"Oh, she didn't know?" Lady Tegan's perfectly arched eyebrow shot up.

"She didn't know," Rhys groaned.

"How interesting," Lady Tegan continued, as she moved aside to allow Holly her first glimpse of the inside of the house. The entry hall was full of dark wood, and dark burgundy velvet on the walls and furniture. The floors were the same dark wood, as were the ceilings. She felt as if she was in a coffin.

"Mother, you've given her the room beside mine, correct?" Rhys wanted to assure her that if she were to feel afraid, he would be right next door.

"Of course dear, where your nanny used to sleep. If I recall she was red haired like your friend." His mother turned half way up the stairs to prompt an introduction.

"Holly Frost," Rhys supplied smoothly. "We're here to do some work in Angwyn's lab."

"Oh, no, whatever for," Lady Tegan groaned.

"Nice to meet you, Lady Tegan," Holly said with all the cordiality she could muster.

"And you too dear girl," Lady Tegan replied as she led the two up the stairs.

"Shouldn't we get our bags," Holly wondered.

"Piers will bring them up," Lady Tegan waved it off.

They were led down a dark wooded hallway with neatly spaced wooden doors, which were all closed. Holly wanted to peek inside, but decided to ask Rhys for a tour later.

"Here we are," Lady Tegan finally stated after they'd walked for at least twenty minutes. "Your father will be here for dinner, as will your grandmother. Wear your nicest clothes." She said before disappearing. Holly felt a little nervous, as she was wearing one of her nicer new outfits.

"Don't worry about her," Rhys shrugged as he opened the door to Holly's room. It was plainly decorated with a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, a desk and a four poster twin size bed. She wondered, though, at how old the furniture was, as it appeared very heavy and very antique. Some of Fflur's furnishings at Lily's house were this old. At least it felt somewhat familiar. "I'll be right next door," he reminded her as he pointed at the door that joined their rooms. She was familiar with this already, from their hotel rooms.

"This is just feeling very wrong," Holly sighed and sat down on the professionally made bed. The quilt was probably older than Lily, and handmade.

"It's only for a few days," he patted the top of her head. "Come in here, child," he said with a laugh and opened the adjoining door. She could see that it had not been changed since he last lived there. "We could stay in my apartment, but there is only one bedroom, and I thought that might be…" he paused to find the correct word, "inappropriate."

"Of course," she said with a smile. There were trophies from science fairs and soccer teams. Posters of pretty girls hung beside soccer players, and a full sized Welsh flag hung over his bed. It was a very normal room. Nothing at all what she'd expect from an alchemist. And nothing at all like hers at Lily's house.

A computer that was several years old sat atop a desk that had to be at least a hundred years old. "Still works," he said with a grin, and reached down to turn it on. His bed was much bigger than the one in the other room. Big enough for two she thought for just a moment then blushed. She was sure Rhys could read her guilty thoughts when he turned to catch her eyes. He smiled, at least. That was encouraging.

"There is a bathroom across the hall. You and I will have to share." Another blush from Holly was greeted by another smile from Rhys.

"We should freshen up, and then we can go foraging for lunch." He pointed her toward the door joining their room, and patted her behind. "You can have the bathroom first."

"Thank you, kind sir," she laughed and bowed.

"It's Honourable," he corrected her: "Honourable Rhyfelwr Warlow."

"Beautiful," she sighed as she escaped to the bathroom.

After an hour of peeking inside sitting rooms, music rooms, and libraries, and Rhys cautioning more times than she could count, "Not THAT room," they finally made it to the kitchen. This room was a mix of old copper pots and new appliances. And it was the first room in the house with lots of windows and lots of light. And she realized that was what she was missing, and why she felt claustrophobic.

There was a sweet older woman chopping vegetables in the kitchen, and when she saw Rhys she opened her arms and he walked to her to give her a big hug. They spoke in Welsh, so fast that she could barely understand them. But she did hear her ask if he was eating. Then she turned toward Holly. "What beautiful red hair," she said with wide eyes.

"Thank you," Holly replied in hesitant Welsh.

To that she was rewarded a huge smile. "I am Delia," she said with a nod of her head.

"I am Holly," she nodded back.

"Celyn," Rhys reminded her, and she blushed.

"Celyn," Delia repeated. "Beautiful. How do you know Welsh, Celyn?"

"Well, my great…" she began.

"Great teacher Rhys," he interrupted. "I'm teaching her some words." He shrugged, and shook his head. But the look in his eyes warned her not to continue.

"Of course you are dear," Delia nodded. "Let me get you two some food." She filled two bowls full of lamb stew, then placed crusty homemade bread with them.

"Holly doesn't eat meat, she's a vegetarian." Rhys corrected gently.

"Of course you are," Delia took in Holly's white skin and slight figure, then quickly put together a salad for her.

"Thank you," Holly said again in Welsh, and Delia nodded.

Holly ate in silence, thinking of all the things she wanted to say to Rhys. But she held it all in. She thanked Delia for the food when they were finished. "What's out there," she asked as she pointed toward a door with huge windows that led to the back of the house.

"The kitchen garden," Rhys answered in English. Holly was being drawn out there. She opened the door, and found the poor garden struggling with too little water and too many weeds. She wasn't dressed for gardening, but there was one way she could help. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a split second, and a soft warm rain began to fall.

"I'm not even going to ask how you did that," Rhys groaned.

"Probably best," she said as he led her back inside.

"Head upstairs and put on some grubby clothes," he instructed. "I'm sure we'll see our share of cobwebs downstairs."

Chapter Eight

She wore a pair of jeans that had been washed too many times, and clung to her rear and her hips. Her t-shirt had shrunk as well, and Rhys was not immune to the way her curves were accentuated by her clothing. He also noticed other things about Holly as they descended the steps to Angwyn's lab. He saw the perspiration on the back of her neck. Her hands were shaking as she put them out to the handrail to steady herself, and she stumbled on one of the steps.

"Are you okay," Rhys asked as he grabbed her elbow to steady her.

And she felt electricity flow up her arm from the point where he touched her. "Don't!" She hissed the word, loud enough for him to jerk his hand away.

"What's wrong?" He was truly concerned. She liked that about Rhys.

"It's, I don't know…" She could smell the chemicals, she could feel the heat from them, and she couldn't see the sun. She hated that there were no windows. "I'm going to be sick." She sat right down on the third step from the bottom. He ran for a trash can, and then a wet cloth. She didn't think she could take the last few steps to the basement.

"Are you sick," he wondered as he wiped her face with the cloth.

"I just need to catch my breath," she stated, but she knew it was more than that. Being trapped in the Earth, with no air or sun or plants around her, plus the smells of the chemicals, was too much.

"Angwyn said Fflur couldn't do it either," he laughed as he pulled out Angwyn's notebook. "But then, she wasn't 1/8 alchemist." He stressed the words, and she knew he was mocking her.

"Why can't the lab be inside a greenhouse, then it would have plenty of light and plants and sunshine and I would be fine," she admits.

"Then it wouldn't be a lab, would it," he sighed.

She knew she should suck it up and walk into the lab. She did after all have an underground fortress of her own that she had been prowling around in since she was 10; by force not by choice. But the smell of the chemicals overwhelmed her. You can do this, she said to herself. And she forced herself to stand and take the few remaining steps down to the basement floor.

She was fighting with herself. She wanted to run back up the steps and run outside the huge house and run as far as she could into the woods and pitch a tent and stay there. But she also wanted to defeat Rose. And there was only one way to do that, and it was inside this lab. Rhys hovered, but did not touch her again. His hands, though, were at strategic places around her body, as if he was prepared to catch her when she fell.

She made it down to the stone floor of the lab, and tried hard to breathe. He still hovered over her, but gave her a bit of distance. She turned to him, and gazed into his eyes. She had to know if they were still blue, or if they had changed, because she felt the electricity all around her.

"They're blue," she sighed as if relieved. He could only smile in reply. "Something in this room is holding a charge."

"Or it could be everything," he reminded her as he walked toward the shelves that covered the opposite wall. She could see labeled glass jars, but couldn't read the labels from where she stood.

She dared not touch the beakers on the two tables that nearly spanned the length of the dark, damp room. The wall to her left was lined with were cabinets, two sinks, soaps, and paper towels. The other wall held several microscopes. She felt like she looked at the history of science in this room, because the microscopes were all from different eras. One looked like it could have been the first ever made.

"Good lord," she exclaimed as she walked toward it, then touched it reverently. "Angwyn and Fflur must have been so much alike." She looked around the lab and realized that Fflur must have designed hers to be like his, minus the security. And then she didn't want to think it, but the image came to her mind.

Fflur, a beautiful young woman with the brightest green eyes and reddest hair stood in this same spot. She stared the young man across the room, with jet black hair and eyes of blue. She needed something from him, but she was afraid of him. He was nothing like his great-grandson. He was bumbling and bookish, although quite handsome. He was intimidated by her, as most men were. And she did not want him to know that he had the power between them, that he was the one who could steal hers.

She stared at the stone displayed in the glass case by the microscope. "Let me show you," he'd offered as he opened the glass. She took it, held it in her hand, and felt nothing. She laughed. Her mother had warned her of the alchemists often, that they were the enemy.

She said their names as if they were the boogie man, haunting the closets of little children. "Warlow," she'd said in hushed tones. "They have the sorcerer's stone. It will steal a druidess's power in the blink of an eye." Of course when Fflur met Angwyn she couldn't help herself. She wanted to test her powers on the shy, insecure young man. She seduced him easily, and begged him to bring her to his father's laboratory.

Angwyn's father had of course warned him against druidesses, how they were witches that could stop a man's heart with a glance. He waited until his father and grandfather were in England, and stole her down to the lab.

She could barely breathe at first, but slowly gathered her wits about her. She wanted to look at everything, of course, but especially the sorcerer's stone. So to touch the thing her mother had scared her about made her laugh loudly, because it sat lifeless under her fingers.

Until Angwyn took it from her, and held it in his hands. It concentrated every bit of his power, and it shot out in sparks of electromagnetic current toward her. It froze her, including her organs. It stopped her heart. And Angwyn almost didn't realize, until he turned to look at her and saw the laugh had frozen on her lips. He quickly placed it on the counter, and she fell to the floor gasping for breath.

She wouldn't allow him to touch her, not even to carry her up the steps. He stayed awake all night for days, and then he presented her with the red stone.

"What did you see," Rhys asked as he hurried to her side.

"Fflur and Angwyn," she whispered. "She could touch the stone without harm. It didn't have any power until he held it."

"Hmmm…" he nodded. "That's what he said in the notebook."

"He gave her the stone," she insisted. "The stone in the dragon pendant."

"Infrared," he nodded. "Angwyn didn't want her to be afraid of him, so he gave her the stone to counter the effects of the ultraviolet."

"How did he do it? Within days he'd harnessed the power that it took scientists centuries to understand."

"Alchemists," he smiled proudly. "We are a determined lot." He touched her arm, forgetting that he'd cause her distress. But it shocked him as much as it did her. It was not unpleasant, more like the feel of the stone in his hand. It was oddly stimulating.

Finally, in this dark place full of mysterious energy, he kissed her. A real, true kiss, not a peck. He licked his lips, turned his head, and took a handful of her hair to pull her into him.

Her lips parted of their own accord. His met hers as he wrapped her other arm around her back, pulling her closer still. She thought she heard a low hum, or maybe it was the blood rushing through her veins. His tongue escaped his lips and delved past her lips. He explored her mouth, tasting her. And her tongue met his, feeling the texture of his. Her hands went out to touch him too. But she didn't want to feel his clothes. She wanted to touch his skin. Her hands dove under the waistband of his dark grey sweater, and her fingers tingled when she touched him.

Then her palms, and her hands up went to his shoulder so her forearm was on his chest. Every inch of skin that touched him, or that he touched, prickled with energy. Her lips quivered and her knees were weak. He must have had the same sensation, because his hands found their way under her t-shirt, and she quivered from feeling.

"Oh, my God," a female voice said from the steps. "Oh, my God, you two are glowing." He didn't want to pull away, but the sound of his sister's voice caused him to jump.

"Eira," he hissed. "Go away. Leave us alone."

But the spell was broken, and she quickly tucked her shirt back into her jeans. She stared into his eyes, seeing they were a light violet that quickly changed through the spectrum of purple to rest at their normal shade of blue.

As soon as his eyes were blue again he cleared his throat and turned toward his sister. "Eira, this is Celyn, my friend."

"Friend," she choked out the word and laughed. "There was a purple glow…" She couldn't continue her thought when Holly turned toward her. "Oh," pause "my" pause "God." Eira had definitely seen the painting of Fflur.

"I'm not a ghost." Holly laughed, trying to diffuse the situation.

"You look just like her," Eira stated.

"So I've heard," Holly sighed.

"You're her offspring," Eira noted. Holly nodded. "You druidesses and your flower names." Eira laughed.

Holly was dumbfounded. How did Eira know? Holly turned to Rhys accusingly. "How?"

Eira laughed. "Just because Angwyn refused to teach me, doesn't mean I didn't learn. I read everything in his library, stealing the books while he had you here in the lab. And I would hide in the stairwell and listen to everything."

"So you know," Rhys growled as he stared at his sister.

She walked toward the black velvet bag on one of the tables. "Is that," she asked, and before Rhys could stop her she'd made it to the bag and opened it. "She must want something from you if she returned this." She said it as she emptied the stone out into her hand. She held it up to examine it in the light. It was the last thing Holly remembered. She felt a current run through her body stronger even than when she held it herself. And then everything was black.

Chapter Nine

Holly woke up in the bedroom under the ancient quilt. She couldn't see out the window as it was behind the headboard of the bed, but she could see the sunlight streaming through. And Rhys sat beside her bed in the chair, staring at her. She noticed that he held her hand. The tingling sensation was gone. His hand was warm, but not electrified. And his eyes were bright blue.

"God, you scared me," he murmured when her eyes opened. "I had to take the stone from Eira and replace it back in the bag before you could even breathe. I was afraid I would have to perform CPR."

"She is very powerful," Holly tried to laugh, but couldn't. She was too afraid.

"Don't worry, I have the stone," he said as he patted the pocket of his jeans. "If only Angwyn knew."

"Where is she," Holly wondered.

"Reading Angwyn's notebook," he sighed. "I had to give it to her in exchange for the stone."

"Maybe she can help us," Holly wondered.

"Give my sister a reason to destroy a druidess?" Rhys wondered. "She had a lot to say about Fflur stealing the stone and taking it to America. I'm sure she'd be pleased to take her revenge."

Holly stared into space behind his shoulder, knowing she had to find Fflur's dragon pendant. But it could be anywhere, and was probably in West Virginia.

"Come on, think about that later," he sighed. "Put on a dress. It's nearly time for dinner." She noted that he had changed. He wore dark grey slacks and a jacket to match, but he didn't wear a tie. He wore a soft grey oxford that made his eyes appear more blue, if that were possible.

"You should have warned me," she sighed. "I didn't bring that many dresses."

"We can go shopping tomorrow," Rhys smiled, as if offering her a great gift.

"What is it with you and shopping?" She groaned as she sat up. She felt as if she'd been in a coma for days. Her muscles didn't want to cooperate with her brain.

"Do you want to stay in bed?" Rhys looked genuinely concerned. "I'll bring you a tray and eat here with you."

"No." Holly shook her head. "I'll be fine."

After taking her time in the bathroom, she returned to her room to dress. Apparently her bladder was affected by the violet ray. It took her forever to pass her urine.

She dressed in the green jersey dress and the silver sandals, and carefully applied makeup. "It's time," Rhys stated as he entered her room without knocking. She laughed at his reaction to her, and left the room so that he could recover and follow after her. He led her through the maze to the "small" dining room.

"It only seats fifteen," Lady Tegan informed her as Rhys pulled out the chair beside his for Holly. Eira sat across from Holly, and she had the chance to survey the other woman. She looked like her brother with long jet black hair and bright blue eyes, and the same peaches and cream complexion. Her features were not any more feminine than his, except that her nose was somewhat smaller. It did not detract at all from her beauty. Her hands and figure, though, were extremely feminine. She had an almost exaggerated hour-glass figure.

"Surgery," Rhys barely whispered as he leaned forward to adjust his napkin.

Piers served dinner, which consisted of too much meat and not enough vegetables. Even the soup was a beef broth. Holly had three serving of mashed potatoes and green beans. Iolyn looked like his mother, with light brown hair and sun-kissed skin. His eyes were a light amber, almost the color of whiskey.

Rhys' father, Lord Hayden, must have looked just like his son when he was younger. He had the same features, and although his hair was nearly all silver there was still a spattering of black. His eyes were still a crisp and clear blue as they examined Holly. The dinner conversation was a mixture of English and Welsh, some of which Holly even understood. She was not talkative on her best days. And after travelling across the Atlantic Ocean, descending into Angwyn's lab, and then passing out, this was definitely not her best day.

"Jet lag," Rhys insisted when asked what was wrong with his red-haired friend. Holly gave a weak smile, and everyone seemed to sympathize. Only Eira eyed her distrustfully.

"So what do you do in America," Lord Hayden asked as he stared at Holly.

"Her grandmother passed away recently, and she came into a small fortune," Rhys answered for her, with a sly smile. Of course it was all true, but the way he said it implied that the two situations were tied together.

"So you've lived a life of leisure," Lord Hayden assumed as he took in Holly fair skin and expensive dress.

"Oh, no Lord Hayden," Holly asserted. "Until my grandmother died, I was a waitress." Lord Hayden balked at the idea. "I believe I should work for what I have, which is honestly not much."

"But your grandmother was rich," Lord Hayden continued.

"Oh, you have no idea," she tried to sound as pompous as the Lord of the manner. Rhys gapped at her admission.

"So is your family famous?" Lord Hayden wondered. "Perhaps I've heard of them."

"I believe you may have," she stated enigmatically. Rhys' eyes grew wide, and Eira coughed. "Or perhaps not. We try to keep a low profile." Rhys laughed.

"Well, Miss Frost," Lord Hayden began, but took a sip of water. "We were curious what project you and Rhys were undertaking in my grandfather's old lab."

Eira wanted to speak, but held her tongue. Holly had no idea how much Rhys told his sister while she was incapacitate. And Holly had no idea the extent of Lord Hayden's knowledge. She was trying to think of a very good lie when Eira finally spoke. "I caught them kissing down there. I don't think they have a project planned at all."

Holly was thankful for the lie, but it still turned her cheeks bright pink. Lady Tegan eyed Holly even more thoroughly after that admission, but her husband simply cleared his throat.

"Well I believe I shall excuse myself. I have some work to do in the study," he stated, and nodded his head to the room. "Lady Tegan," he said gruffly, then walked out the door.

"I believe I shall turn in as well," she sighed, and quickly got up and walked out the door opposite the one her husband exited through. Which left Iolyn to escort his grandmother to her rooms, and Gemma followed behind.

"Okay, you two," Eira began conspiratorially. "I think I need to know everything that is going on."

Piers entered the room to clean off the table, and Rhys stood to pull out Holly's chair. "Not here," he shook his head. He took Holly's hand and led her to a hallway toward the back of the house. The tingling was gone completely.

Eira followed them as if she was invited. Rhys stopped at the end of every hallway and looked both ways. Holly had to assume he didn't want anyone to see where they were headed. And she should have known, when he led her to a locked door, that their destination would be Angwyn's apartment. The door actually squealed in protest when he opened it.

He put up his arm and made a downward motion as the door opened, and Holly could see the remnants of a spider web hanging from the door frame. Eira seemed excited, and as soon as the web was removed she shoved forward past Rhys and entered the room.

"I always loved sneaking in here," she said a little too loudly. But apparently from the dust and the spiders no one had been inside in years.

Rhys quickly pulled her inside, then closed the door as silently as he could. Holly could not miss the huge portrait of Fflur hanging over the mantle as it was the first thing that drew the eye in the otherwise plain, boring room. Oddly, no dust had settled on the painting, and it was as clear and beautiful as when the artist first handed it to him.

"My God, you look just like her," Rhys stated the obvious. The only difference between her appearance and her great-grandmother's was the beautiful curls in her grandmother's hair. "Angwyn said that her maids spent hours curling her long red locks," Rhys supplied.

"They likeness is unmistakable," Eira agreed. "The painting could _be_ you." She stressed the word.

"I'm not Fflur," Holly stated again, but Eira only huffed. "Druidesses do not live forever." Holly shook her head at the idea. "My grandmother did just die," Holly reminded the other girl.

"Perhaps druidesses do not live forever, but alchemists," Eira began, but bit her lip.

"Eira," Rhys chided his sister.

"What are you two not telling me," she wondered. Rhys glared at his sister. "What?" Holly insisted.

"The sorcerer's stone, the potion of immortality," Eira informed her. "Turning metal to gold, healing the sick, the universal solvent; these are goals alchemists strive for."

"Immortality," Holly whispered. "You believe Fflur took a potion of immortality?"

"I am sure of it," Eira stated. "Angwyn also."

"Eira," Rhys' voice became more insistent.

"But Angwyn died," Holly stated.

"Because he willed himself to. Fflur broke his heart when she ran to America." Eira's tone matched her brother's.

"Fflur was," Holly began. Her hands shook. Her knees were weak. She had held her secrets so closely to her heart they were nearly impossible to speak. Even though Rhys knew, it was still hard to say. "Pregnant."

"Are you saying," Eira's shock was evident.

"Yes," Holly nodded.

"No," Eira denied. Holly nodded. "You're Angwyn's great-granddaughter?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Holly felt Rhys' arm go around her shoulder protectively. He'd been on the other side of the room staring at books before she said it. And suddenly he was at her side. She felt the warmth of his body like a caress around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"So you, and not Iolyn, are the heir-apparent of the family," Eira sat stunned.

"No." Holly tried to diffuse the situation, but Eira turned away from her.

"Your grandmother's family would have the right of succession," Eira corrected her.

"Not my mother," Holly said it almost as a plea.

"No one can know," Rhys stated. "You cannot tell anyone." He said this to his sister, not Holly.

Eira nodded.

"My mother is…" She had no way to describe her mother. Other than the obvious: "Evil."

"Oh, dear," Eira groaned.

"I didn't tell even you, Rhys," Holly said as she sat down. "And Lily didn't realize it until Poppy was born. Rose was, shall we say, inclined from birth. It happens rarely among druidesses, but through my family line it happens more often than not."

She had to tell her entire story, to trust this part of her family to keep her secrets. They had their own secrets, after all. "There can be only two at a time. That is why we have one child, exclusively daughters. That is why, when Fflur found out she was pregnant she fled. She loved Angwyn, but she didn't have the desire to give up her powers to settle down in a real marriage. She would be required, of course, as the lady of the manor to provide Angwyn an heir and a spare, so to speak, preferably sons. Fflur was a powerful druidess after all.

"So when her mother, Briallu, found out about the baby they made plans to come to America." Holly felt the need to apologize for what Fflur did to Angwyn. "I'm sorry. She couldn't give up her existence for love."

A hush came over the room, and Fflur stared down at them hauntingly. She looked independent and strong, a career woman who would put herself above mere emotion. And then Holly looked toward Rhys, and realized she was nothing like Fflur.

"You said there could only be two," Rhys reminded her. "You said it before. What do you mean?"

"The rituals require two people, and only two. When Briallu died, Fflur and Lily performed the rituals." Holly took a deep breath, and told Eira what Rhys already partially knew. "When I was born, it threw a wrench in the machine. There can only be one daughter."

"But what happened to Poppy," Rhys wondered.

"I don't know. Lily refused to tell me." Rhys looked stunned. "Because I couldn't guard myself from Rose until I was older." Holly turned toward Eira. "Rose killed all of her step-fathers. She would have killed her sister too if Lily hadn't hidden her away."

"So why stay with Rose? Why not leave with Poppy?" Eira wondered.

"Because Rose was already so powerful, Lily had to counteract her dark powers with Lily's good." Holly sighed. "It's all so confusing."

Eira shook her head and sat down beside Holly. "No, if anyone understands, it is I." She shot an evil look at her brother. "I could not learn because I was a girl. Even though I had the greater aptitude, I was smarter." Holly smiled. Perhaps Eira could understand.

"Druidesses are not evil," Holly explained. "We are the keepers of the balance of nature. We protect the environment. If you see a drought, or famine, there was no druidesses to protect the region."

"Or there was an evil druidess?" Eira countered.

"Yes, like Rose," Holly nodded. "You do understand."

"And the adversarial nature between alchemists and druidesses is because alchemists strive to pervert the natural?" Eira said it without a hint of remorse.

"Pervert?" Holly thought of the word for a moment. "Is that the right word?"

"Subvert?" Eira provided. "Either way we have a basic distrust for one another." Eira said it without malice. "But you need us."

"Equinox," Holly provided. "I must destroy Rose's powers and perform the ritual with Ivy at Equinox."

"Or?" Eira wondered.

"If I do not perform the ritual, my powers begin to fade." Holly admitted it. "And Rose's powers will prevail. I think I already explained why we can't let that happen."

"Why would she want to destroy the balance of nature?" It was Rhys who asked. The question showed his naiveté.

"If she destroys it, she will be the only one able to restore it. She will have the ultimate power." Rhys still didn't quite understand. And Holly was very happy that his brain couldn't comprehend the meaning behind her words. Eira, on the other hand, understood completely.

"The 7th ray, by Equinox," Eira stated.

"But Ivy tried to kill you," Rhys reminded her.

"Ivy will perform the ceremony with me, or lose her powers." Holly reminded him. "She will have to choose me."

Rhys still didn't believe it. "Why not just disable both of them and you find someone else to perform the ritual with?"

Eira caught Holly's stare, and shook her head. "Men," Eira laughed. Holly shrugged. "They don't understand the most basic ideas."

"But you're so powerful, you can miss one ritual, can't you?"

Eira laughed. "How powerful are you," she wondered. And then she gasped. "You're part alchemist!" Holly could see the wheels spinning behind Eira's blue eyes.

"Your brother thinks alchemists are made, not born," Holly smiled at Eira.

"Men," Eira laughed again. This time Holly joined her.

"What?" Rhys sighed loudly.

Chapter Ten

At dawn Holly was in the kitchen garden pulling weeds. She never felt bad about destroying the weeds, just as she wouldn't feel bad about destroying Rose. Sometimes the plants that stole the nutrients from the useful plants needed to be removed. When she was finished and had the refuge in a garbage bag, she asked for rain. Thunder clapped in the distance, and a steady downpour started as Holly walked into the kitchen.

"We weren't expecting rain today," Delia said as she stared out the window by the breakfast table.

"Odd," Holly murmured as she washed her hands.

"But the garden did need a good watering," Delia nodded as she stared out the back door at Holly's handiwork. The plants actually looked happy, their leaves opening up to the rain.

"Umhmm," Holly agreed.

"I made pancakes for you," Delia said proudly. She motioned to a tray that held welsh pancakes, syrup, eggs, bacon, and toast and jelly. She poured milk and juice into glasses for two, and handed it to Holly. "You'll carry this up to Rhys, won't you?" The gleam in her eyes was unmistakable. Holly nodded.

She had a fitful night's sleep. She dreamed of Angwyn and Fflur, and they morphed into Holly and Rhys. She knew from the purple glow that surrounded them in her dream. When she rolled over she heard Rhys pecking at the keys of his laptop. The man never slept.

So she was sure that he would still be asleep when she knocked on his door. "Come in," he mumbled.

She opened the door then picked up the tray and carried it inside. He lay in the bed with the covers pulled up to his stomach. His chest was bare; and oh, what a chest.

He was well muscled, with almost no body hair. His chest was the same peaches and cream as his face and neck. His shoulders were even wider than they appeared in his clothes. His biceps were big but not bulky. And his abs were flat but not obscene. His body was perfect.

She tore her eyes away as she sat the tray on his desk. "Put it here," he said as he moved to the other side of the bed and patted the spot he'd vacated. "We can eat together."

So this was behind Delia's glittering brown eyes. She placed the tray on the bed, then sat down beside him, Indian style. He pushed his pillows up behind his head, and reclined comfortably while he put jelly on a piece of toast. "How did you sleep," he asked sweetly.

"Not well," she admitted. "You?"

"I had dreams of Rose stopping your heart." He sounded sad, but he smiled brightly as he stared at her bare legs in her shorts.

"She hasn't succeeded yet," Holly reminded him as she took a bite of pancake.

"Has she tried?" Rhys sounded shocked.

"Umhmm," Holly nodded.

"Really?" He couldn't believe it.

"Yes, really," Holly nodded. "There can be only two, remember?" Holly drank her juice, then stared deeply into his eyes. "Rose tried to punish Lily by performing the rituals with Ivy when she turned 17. Usually a druidess has to be of age to perform the ceremony. That's why Rose had to wait, for Ivy to mature. But she didn't realize that I was ready. At 10 I performed my first on the Vernal Equinox." She popped another bite into her mouth.

"I was about 10 when my Angwyn picked me as well," Rhys sighed.

"Then that means Eira was about 6?" Rhys nodded. "You think she started learning then?"

"Hard to tell," Rhys shrugged. If Eira did it explained her power. She refused to be afraid of Eira or Rhys. But when she looked at him she thought of her dream where his eyes were violet, and she shivered.

"Cold?" Rhys wondered, and tentatively touched her calf which was so close to his hand. The tingling sensation was still not there. "You shouldn't wear shorts in this weather." They could hear the rain hitting his window. "There was no rain in the forecast," his words echoed Delia's.

"Imagine that," Holly shrugged, and continued to eat.

After they showered and dressed they walked down to Angwyn's lab. Eira stood at one of the counters peering into a microscope. "Eira graduated top of her class in physics," Rhys explained. "She's very close to her doctorate. Father is very proud."

"I was wondering if we could use the sorcerer's stone to power a laser," Eira stated excitedly when she heard Rhys' voice.

"Think a little smaller," Rhys sighed heavily. "We have two weeks before we need to be back in America. Can you build a laser in two weeks?"

"No, but I can steal one from the lab at the university." Her dark brows so much like her brothers arched suggestively.

"So you want to steal a laser and smuggle it into America on a plane," Rhys shook his head. "Not a smart idea. Think of another one."

"We trap Rose in a room with the stone while Holly and Ivy perform the ritual," Eira suggested.

"Better," Rhys nodded.

"I like it," Holly agreed. "But that's not the end. We need to find a way to take Rose's power permanently." Eira nodded, but Rhys stared blankly. "If we disable her temporarily, then we will have to do it during each equinox and each solstice." Eira groaned. "We'll have to figure out a way to capture her four times a year."

Holly paused as she gazed at Rhys. "And missing one ritual won't steal her power. It will weaken her, but she is already so strong."

"So we are talking about killing Rose," Eira wondered. "I mean, that's the only way to stop her, right?"

"Why didn't Lily just kill Rose?" Rhys asked. "I don't want to keep asking stupid questions…" His eyes became distant and the corners of his lips dropped.

"No, it's not a stupid question," Holly soothed him. She walked toward him, and touched his hand. The tingling sensation was back. She glanced around the lab and wondered what was in this room that caused their energies to peak. He smiled at her, telling her he felt it too. "If Lily killed Rose it would tip the balance of her own power from good to evil. Once that happens, like with Rose, it can't be reversed. So Lily could only counter Rose's evil with her good."

"We need to know what's in this lab that's causing us to…" He couldn't finish his sentence, because he stared at Holly whose eyes were as blue as his own.

"Glow?" Eira finished for him as she surveyed the couple again. "I was wondering the same thing. Could it possibly be the stone?"

Holly wondered if they had touched intimately since she had given him the stone. "On the plane," he reminded her, as if he'd read her thoughts.

"We didn't glow, I don't believe," Holly shook her head.

"But did our skin touch?"

"It is something in the lab," Rhys insisted.

"Maybe it's everything in the lab," Holly suggested.

"Let me take the stone out of the room and see if it still happens," Eira offered.

Rhys bristled at the idea, but he took the black velvet bag out of his pocket and handed it to his little sister. "Give me the notebook, as collateral," he insisted. She handed the notebook to him with a noise of disgust at his lack of trust in her. She carried the stone up the steps and closed the door behind her.

"So, should we," she asked as she looked at the floor.

But he placed his hand under her chin, and tipped it upward. His hand moved toward her neck, pulling her closer. And then he kissed her. His tongue caressed her lips, and she opened them for him. His hands were warm, and his caress was gentle, but not electric. His other hand wrapped around her. His tongue plunged into her mouth. And she let out a low moan.

"No glow." Eira sounded disappointed. Rhys pulled back, but didn't break their embrace. She sat the stone down beside him on the counter. His hand tingled where he touched her neck.

"It's definitely the stone," Holly whispered.

"We can't take everything out of the lab and slowly put it back in while you two kiss to figure it out," Eira complained. "Give me Angwyn's book and I'll search for it. Find out what he did to infrared Fflur's stone as well. I guess we don't want to kill Holly while we're offing her mom."

Eira picked up the notebook, not waiting for an answer, and stormed off. That left Holly and Rhys alone in the lab. And his hand sending seductive tingles down her neck. "Touch me," he insisted as he ripped off his sweater. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of his bare torso. She'd nearly forgotten how gorgeous his body was until just then.

He was breathing heavy in anticipation. Holly's hand shook as it moved slowly toward his body. Right before she touched him she felt the current, like she'd walked across a carpet in her socks and then touched a light switch.

She jumped and giggled. His hand took her forearm and brought it to his skin. He shuddered. His eyelids were barely open, but she could see the bright violet irises behind them. "Doesn't this freak you out?" Her tone was reverent as her hand moved up to his collar bone.

"You can make it rain and this freaks you out?" He placed her other hand on his back, and his entire body shook. His head lulled back, and his eyes closed. He obviously enjoyed it.

She enjoyed it too, she wanted to say. But she was too afraid to pull off her shirt and allow him free reign with her body. So she rubbed her hands over his torso, up to his shoulders and down over his arms to his hands, and back up. When both hands moved down his chest and grazed his nipple he made a noise of pain and anguish. Her weight moved slightly backward, and before she could remove her hands he grabbed her forearms again.

"Don't you dare stop." His voice oscillated as if he talked into a fan. He pulled her hand down to his stomach, and giggled as if she tickled him. She wrapped her hands around his waist to his back, and moved up and down slowly. His lopsided smile showed her his pleasure.

"Do you want me to?" Yes, she did. But she didn't want to ask him to. When she didn't answer he opened his eyes to stare at her. She shook her head quickly.

"Are you sure?" She nodded her head, but her bottom lip jutted out slightly. He pulled her toward him and kissed her, not the ardent kiss from earlier but tender and soft. She moaned in the back of her throat.

His hands moved to her forearms again and pushed the sleeves of her soft sweater up over her elbows. Then his fingertips moved back and forth over her skin. It sent shivers down her spine and back up to her brain. Her breath caught in a gasp, and he giggled again.

He deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue into her mouth. She felt like she was eating exploding candy from the sensations on her tongue. Her hands still caressed his back, and she moved her hands around his body to return to his chest.

"Holy cow are you two at it again," Eira announced as she entered the lab again. "I've been away for almost an hour. Have you two been glowing since then?" She chuckled when Rhys pulled away and he looked drunk. "Put your shirt back on."

"Come here," Rhys said to his sister as he quickly threw on his sweater. She walked toward them, and he put his hand out and touched her cheek.

"What?" She looked at him like he was crazy.

"Touch her hand, Celyn," he said. When Holly touched Eira, she jumped back.

She chuckled a little. And then the fascinated plea, "do it again!" Holly touched the back of Eira's hand again, and she laughed. She glared at her brother. "Why are you always the lucky one?"

He simply laughed and grabbed Holly's hand. "If you only knew how lucky."

"Something in the lab is affecting Holly's hybrid blood," Eira observed.

"That's why she's the smart one," Rhys laughed, and moved his hand up and down over Holly's forearm. Her lips quivered.

Holly moved toward the shelves on the opposite side of the lab. She groaned when she noted they were all labeled in Welsh. "Blood of King," he translated. Holly shook her head.

"It's the cauldron," Eira stated confidently. She had placed it on the counter by the glass enclosure that had once held the stone.

"Fairy dust," Rhys asked as he pointed to an almost empty bottle. Holly picked it up, and the miniscule pile of dust at the bottom shifted and sparkled like glitter. Holly's eyes lit up.

"Mermaid's breath," Rhys picked up a bottle that looked empty.

"Breath would be invisible," Holly shrugged.

"Afanc scales," he chuckled. Holly looked inside. "Like the Loch Ness monster," he explained.

"Ah," Holly nodded seriously.

He translated several more, each more ridiculous than the others.

She pointed at one on the top shelf, recognizing the words. "That one," she said and pointed.

Rhys laughed. "I don't think so, it's just dirt."

"Ynys Mon," she read. "That's it."

"Anglesey," he shrugged. "It's an island across the straight." He pulled it down and handed it to her, and she opened it and poured a little into the palm of her hand.

Thunder clapped so loud they heard it down in the lab. The air crackled around them. Holly felt her blood singing like it did when she performed the ritual. She balled her fist around the dirt, and she felt Fflur and Lily as if they were a physical presence in the room.

She wrapped her arm around Rhys and pulled him down to kiss her, and the electricity between them was almost unbearable.

"Yes, that's it," Rhys groaned as he pulled away.

"I think tomorrow we're going to Anglesey," Eira noted.

"I thought we were going shopping," Holly almost pouted as she shoved the dirt into her pocket. "I need new clothes."

Rhys glanced at his watch. "It's almost lunch time. Let's go upstairs and eat, and then we can head into town."

"Fine," Holly grumbled as she glided toward the stairs. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, ma'am," Rhys laughed and followed quickly behind her.

Eira watched it all with her scientists' keen sense of perception.

Chapter Eleven

Over the span of about an hour, Holly had changed. She sat up straight at lunch and keenly watched everyone at the table. Gemma was seven months pregnant with her first child, the Warlow clan's next heir. Gemma was about Rhys' age, a few years younger than her husband. Iolyn was at work at one of his father's plants. Gemma was a teacher before she took time off for maternity leave, and was unsure when she would return, if at all.

Holly stared at Gemma, to the point she almost became uncomfortable. Finally Holly spoke. "You're going to have a boy."

Gemma smiled and nodded. "I know."

"He'll be just like his father," Holly continued.

Gemma blushed. "I hope so."

Gemma and their grandmother were the only ones in the room who did not understand her meaning. Even Lady Tegan picked up on her blatant insinuation. And then she eyed Holly more closely.

Rhys reached out to grab Holly's hand under the table, but she quickly pulled away. Holly's green eyes surveyed Rhys, who squinted his eyes at her. _Quiet, _he said to her, _Gemma doesn't know_.

And then she realized she was hearing his thoughts. Her hand rubbed against the pocket that contained the dirt. To most of the people in the room it looked like she rubbed her hand on her napkin. But Rhys and Eira both knew what she did.

"I believe I'm all finished," she announced and stood up before she'd even eaten the salad Delia prepared especially for her. "Thank Delia for me, Piers," she said smoothly as she headed up the steps.

Rhys eyed his fish and vegetables. He was not going to leave the table and abandon a wonderful lunch for Celyn. He'd eat and then chase after her.

When he finally knocked on her door she was ready for him. "Come in," she said softly. Even her voice had taken a more feminine tone.

He opened the adjoining door between their rooms, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. Her make up was dramatic; bright red lips and dark black eye liner. Not a hair on her head was frizzy or out of place. And the dress she chose to wear was incredible. It was not green as she'd grown to favor to match her eyes, but bright red to match her hair. The jersey fabric clung to her every curve. It was a tank dress which showed a lot of her alabaster skin. He shivered as he did in the lab.

"Would you be a dear and grab my sweater and purse," she asked as she pointed toward her neatly made bed. He could only nod, and without thinking ran toward her bed and grabbed her things.

"Thank you," she said as she took the tiny black purse from him. Inside she'd tucked the dirt into a cloth handkerchief she'd found in one of the drawers. She smiled at him as if he had done the greatest deed ever. His insides melted.

"Shall we go?" She took the sweater from him also and grabbed his hand. He thought he'd somehow been transported to heaven.

Eira chose not to join them. She instead returned to the lab. Rhys drove Holly to the next town over in a tiny little convertible. "Your car is adorable," Holly cooed as she placed her hand on his on the gearshift.

"Thanks," he nearly stuttered. "Piers retrieved it from my flat."

"How fast will it go," she wondered aloud. He glanced at her, unsure if he understood her meaning. But she moved her hand from the gearshift to his thigh, and he immediately gave the car more gas. She smiled as she stared out across the Menai Strait to the island across the way. Her blood roared through her veins.

Rhys spent an ungodly amount of money on her that afternoon, from skirts and blazers more appropriate to the climate to super soft Welsh wool cardigans and socks and even a few dinner dresses. Holly picked out a pair of sturdy rain boots for roaming around the lab and the grounds, and several pairs of high fashion pumps.

When she walked past an antique jewelry store she stopped and stared. And he opened the door to guide her in. She picked out several gold bangle bracelets, a bracelet with a beautiful red stone heart pendant, and earrings and a necklace to match. She also pointed to a fine copper art deco necklace, and earrings, and a pretty copper charm on a thick black cord. Rhys paid for it all.

After they put her bags in his trunk she took his hand and wandered toward a bluff on the other side of the parking lot. From the top of the small hill where she stood she could see most of the island. He reached out to take her hand, and he felt the same tingling sensation, more pronounced this time. The island was like a conductor inside Holly for the power of the stone.

Perhaps it was because there were not many alchemist-druidess hybrids the effects of the stone on Anglesey druidesses were unknown. But he stopped to purchase his own leather bound notebook to capture his thoughts and write them down on paper. He especially wanted the notebook for the next day. He was very excited to see the effect stepping onto the island would have on Holly.

She dressed for dinner in a flowing cream colored dress that hit right at her calf. The top consisted of several buttons, almost like a blouse, with a soft brown braided belt separating it from the skirt. Holly left too many of the buttons undone for Rhys' taste, but his father's eyes were drawn to her throughout dinner.

Gone was the shy girl Rhys had met, replaced by a captivating woman. She drew Lord Hayden into a conversation about how the waste from his plants was filtered before being returned back into the delicate UK ecosystem. He enjoyed the chance to talk about his work in such a way, and asked her to join him after dinner in the study for a night cap.

Lady Tegan stormed out of the dining room, and Rhys followed along with Holly and his father. He thought they would need a chaperone. But he was afraid that it was his father that needed protection, not Holly. She looked like she was about to eat Lord Hayden alive.

"So explain your idea to harness the steam from the plant to turn it into electricity." She took a glass of scotch whiskey from Lord Hayden and took a sip. Holly finally noticed Lord Hayden's eyes. His hair was dark, almost black like his son's. And his skin was the same peach hue. But his eyes were not blue, they were dark brown. Holly knew then that even if Rhys' father had believed in the power of the alchemist he would never have been able to wield it.

He began to talk about the pressure of the steam turning generators, and Holly really did appear fascinated. Rhys took out his new notebook to write down her transformation from shy girl to siren. After only a few moments he looked up to catch her staring at him. He could have sworn, if he didn't know her better, that she was lusting after him.

"You know the cooling process is the main component of the chemical reaction," Lord Hayden continued. Holly placed her finger to her lip thoughtfully. Rhys couldn't breathe.

"Excuse us, father," Rhys said as he stood. "Celyn, come with me." He took her hand, and she gave him a cunning smile.

"Excuse us, Lord Hayden," Holly said in all seriousness. "We must discuss this another time."

Rhys took a deep breath and, against his more animalistic urges led her to a linen closet in the main hallway. He took several blankets and headed for a side entrance. It led out to the garage when Rhys' tiny convertible sat with several other expensive looking cars. He took her purse which he assumed still held the soil, and the stone from his pocket, and locked them both in the trunk of the car.

Then he pulled her out the side door and toward a fenced area. Inside the privacy fence was a small pool with a Jacuzzi on one end. He led her to a rattan couch and pulled her down beside him. Then he wrapped the blankets around both of them.

"What are you doing?" She wondered as she gazed into his bright blue eyes.

"Detoxifying your system," he stated honestly. "Sit here and look at the stars," he ordered. He allowed her to hold his hand, but nothing more. He didn't even wrap his arm around her shoulder.

She listened to the wind rustle through the pine trees on the far side of the garden. She heard the water bubbling in the hot tub next to them. An owl hooted from somewhere in the trees, and then another answered it. About a quarter of the moon was gone now. The Equinox was fast approaching, and they had no good ideas to stop Rose. She shivered from the chill in the early March air, and the fear she felt as she stared at the moon.

"Are you cold?" She nodded. "Let's go back inside then." He helped her up, and wrapped the thick blanket around her shoulders as he led her back to the front of the house. The dirt and the stone were left safely locked in his car. He didn't think he'd be able to make it through the night in a room next door to a seductive Celyn. This was much safer for both of them, and his sanity.

She was his familiar Celyn when she came to his room the next morning with a tray from Delia. "Breakfast?" She asked innocently as she opened the door to his room. She wore her tight jeans with one of her new wool cardigans and the thick rain boots.

"I'd love breakfast in bed again." He was shirtless again with the thick quilt pulled up to his waist. Her cheeks became pink. He said a silent thank you to whoever was in charge of the universe. "Do you believe in God?"

"Yes," she replied as she sat the tray beside him on his bed then climbed in with him. "And I believe in a Godess also." He looked at her with a small amount of shock. "On Earth there is male and female in every species, right?" He opened his mouth to argue, but she smiled and shook her head. "I'm not talking about amoebas, I'm talking about animals."

He chewed a bite of food, thinking. "So the rituals, who are they for?" He finally asked.

"The Mother and the Father," she instructed. "Or at least that's how Lily taught me. I don't know how Rose performs them."

"So you pray to a father, but you don't believe they are useful?" She glared at him, but he laughed. "You always marry soldiers, or abandon men who love you."

"Don't say 'you always.' I haven't done any of those things," she stressed. "It was by sheer chance that Lily's husband was drafted for the war. She'd thought to settle down and have a family. She had Rose and Poppy before her husband went off to war." Her brow furrowed as she thought about Lily.

"I'm sorry," he tried to soothe her. He pushed an errant lock of bright red hair out of her face.

"My life would have been very different if Poppy had stayed and not Rose."

"Don't worry about what you can't change, Celyn" he whispered. "Think of what you can change." He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a half hug. "Are you ready to step onto the island of Anglesey?" He asked it with a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm not sure." She rolled her eyes as she thought of how she acted the day before.

"I'll leave the stone with Eira," he offered.

"Leave the notebook with her," Holly insisted. "She might figure something out."

"Don't you wonder where Poppy is now?" He asked as he ate.

"Every day," Holly admitted. "I brought the picture here with me." She watched him eating and wondered why she felt she could tell him anything. "I planted it so Ivy would find it. While Ivy was looking around in the other boxes I removed the picture from my pocket and acted like it was in the box the entire time."

"Oh," his eyebrows flew up in shock.

"I needed to know what Ivy knew." She didn't want to have any more secrets between them. "Just like I planted the books at the storage unit to test you and Ivy." He made the same sound of disgust in the back of his throat that his sister had made when he didn't trust her with the stone and the notebook together. "I knew why you were in West Virginia, and it had nothing to do with empty chemical plants."

"My father does want to expand in the states," he defended himself.

"How did you find us there," she wondered. It was the one thing she didn't understand.

"Fate," he shrugged. "I really had no idea you were in West Virginia when my father sent me there. I was to tour the plants, then head to Washington D.C. to hire a private investigator. We had a photograph of a woman who was over a hundred years old, and a name, and that was it." He laughed out loud and his ribs moved up and down under his taught muscles. "I can't believe you didn't know."

"I knew you were coming," she pouted. "I just didn't know why."

"Maybe it really was fate that we meet." The look he gave her told her he believed it. "If there is a God and Godess in Heaven maybe they both want us to stop Rose."

They both finished eating, and they sat beside each other in Rhys' bed. His hand lay familiarly on her knee, and her head rested on his shoulder. She could barely believe they'd known each other for two weeks.

"I feel like I've known you forever," he echoed her thought. She wondered if he could read her mind like she thought sometimes she could read his. Or maybe she did read his mind the evening before. She had no idea.

"Hmmm…" She didn't know what to say. She felt the connection between them too. But she was too afraid to say it.

"I mean, what are the odds that I get in my car and head to the restaurant where you were just waiting for me to translate the letter?" It was the same thing that Ivy had said the night they'd met.

"I didn't really need you to translate the letter," she admitted. "Lily read it to me when she wrote it."

"Give me some credit," he sighed.

"I admitted I need your help. I gave you the stone." That should be enough.

"Yes, you did," he sighed and patted her knee. "Are you going to let me up, or are we going to stay in bed all day?" He laughed as his fingers squeezed her knee. She jumped and giggled.

"I'm ready when you are," she said suggestively, but she picked up the tray and carried it out the door before he pulled the quilt off his body.

She trembled as she stepped out of his tiny convertible. They drove across the bridge over the Menai Strait that separated Anglesey from the mainland, and he pulled over on the side of the road. She felt like she'd taken a breath for the first time. The pure air filled her lungs and her blood and made her dizzy.

Rhys watched, dumfounded, as daisies and dandelions seemed to pop out of the earth where she walked. He heard the wind roar through the sycamores, and felt the sun peek out from behind the clouds. The island welcomed its long-lost daughter.

She stood and felt the sun on her face for many minutes, and Rhys couldn't help but wonder what she was feeling. Finally he interrupted her reunion, and took her hand to lead her back to the car. "Come, Celyn fi, I have something to show you."

He called her "my Celyn". She smiled at the idea and followed him to his car. They drove north, and as they passed the first standing stone she tingled. It was the same feeling she had when he touched her skin while they were near the stone and the soil together. But this was more intense. And he wasn't touching her.

"I have to get out," she insisted.

"Not yet," he chuckled. They drove for what felt like hours, until he pulled onto a dirt road. And then she saw it over the hill. "Hendrefor," he informed her.

She ignored his pleas to stop as she climbed over a gate to enter the pasture. She ran to the stones, not caring who or what would try to stop her. She did not fall to the ground, she flung herself onto it.

He heard her soft mumblings, in Welsh no less, and saw her arms spread wide. He stood and watched her. He could not take his eyes of the sight of the red-haired beauty kneeling in her church, praying to her God and Godess.

Until he heard the farmer who owned the land approaching, with a shot gun no less. "What are you doing on my farm?" He asked quietly. "I put up no trespassing signs for a reason."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Rhys said with his hands in front of him. "I couldn't stop her."

"I'm tired of these new age people coming on my land, thinking they can…" And then he stopped as she stood up, and he saw her red-hair gleaming in the sun. He saw the grass in the field swaying around her. "Derwydd."

"Yes, she is," Rhys agreed with him that she was in fact a druid. The man pointed his gun to the ground, and watched transfixed with Rhys. She knelt again, and again he watched the flowers bloom around her. The farmer couldn't speak.

When she finished, she turned toward Rhys with the most brilliant smile he'd ever seen. She ran to Rhys and grabbed him around his neck. He felt the tingle spread from the base of his skull all over his body.

"Thank you, miss," the farmer said and broke into their cocoon. "Thank you for blessing my farm."

"Thank you for allowing me," Holly said as she turned to him. He nodded and returned toward his house. She took Rhys' hand and followed him back to the gate, and then to the car. "I'm tired now," she whispered.

"We can come back again," he said. "Or we can take a weekend trip to Stonehenge tomorrow."

"I can't think of anything I'd enjoy more."

Chapter Twelve

They returned to the manor and Rhys had to check on his sister in the lab. They both stopped at the foot of the stairs when they saw red sparks and smoke flowing from the cauldron, and his sister standing over it.

"What are you doing?" Rhys demanded as they covered their mouths and noses. Smoke and underground, windowless labs did not go together. They both began to cough.

"I think I have it," Eira's excited cry filtered through the smoke and coughing. She poured some fluid over the cauldron, and red reflections sparkled around the walls and ceiling. Through the coughing Holly thought it looked like a disco ball with red lights aimed at it. "Angwyn wrote down a quote on one of the pages of his notebook. I thought it was random and meaningless. But then I remembered the quote was from a book in his library."

"Ceridwen?" Rhys guessed. The smoke had died down when she doused the sparks, and he and Holly moved toward it. They moved as slowly as if they expected to find a snake inside the small cast iron pot.

"It's lovely," Holly murmured as she gazed down at the ruby sparkling like the only star in the dark sky.

"He wrote the formula down and hid it in the book," Eira explained. Up close she didn't look so much like her brother. Her eyes were a lighter blue, if that were possible. Her cheeks were pink, and her lips were fuller.

"So do you have to have the black hair and blue eyes to be have the aptitude?" Holly watched as Eira bravely placed her hand inside the cauldron and pulled out a stone that sparkled as if it had its own light source.

"It is an indicator, yes," Rhys said as he touched the stone with the tip of his finger and pulled it quickly back, as if he would test something he thought would be hot.

"It doesn't look like the other stone," Holly stated as she moved closer still. She felt the vibration from the stone. It was not an electrical current like Angwyn's stone, but a deep low hum. She felt like she was standing by some huge machinery all going at once.

Rhys took the stone from his sister and examined it. "What was in the formula," he wondered aloud.

"Mostly stuff from Anglesey," Eira shrugged. "A lot of dirt, grass, pure water from a stream, stuff like that. Oh, and the red hair of a druidess," Eira smirked.

"Are you kidding?" Rhys laughed.

"No," Eira shook her head. "I had to sneak into Holly's room and raid her hairbrush."

They were speaking around her, and about her, but she wasn't really listening. Although she could hear them, the hum from the stone droned on. She wondered what it would feel like, if it would pulse through her like the current from the other stone.

"I found the ruby in the back of one of the cabinets," Eira continued. "It's the twin of the one Fflur wore. He bought two in case the first one melted."

"So what binds the soil and grass to the stone," Rhys wondered.

"Magic, of course," Eira chuckled. "Holly's magic."

"Holly's part Wiccan, and part alchemist," Rhys stated almost proudly as he put the ruby down on the table in front of him. "She has a lot more magic running through her than Fflur did."

"Is it supposed to make that noise," Holly finally spoke.

"I don't," Eira and Rhys both turned to her, as if they'd forgotten she was in the room. "I don't hear anything."

"It hums," Holly said. Her gaze flew to Rhys, searching his bright blue eyes for reassurance.

Rhys had never seen Holly look afraid, even when he handed her Angwyn's stone she was prepared. But now she looked terrified.

"I don't know what it will do," Holly's voice shook. She moved her hand closer to it and the stone flashed.

"If it does anything to you I'll grab it," Rhys assured her and moved quickly to her side.

"Okay," Holly said, and held out her hand for Rhys to place it in her palm. He took the gem again and held it between his thumb and forefinger. "Do you feel it?"

"I don't feel anything, Celyn." He took Holly's other hand. "On three?" He counted from one to three and dropped the stone in Holly's hand. She closed her eyes and clenched her muscles, preparing for the pain. But it never came.

"Odd," Rhys stated.

"Definitely different," Eira agreed.

Holly opened her eyes and looked at the stone. It didn't sparkle any more than a normal ruby. In fact it looked quite dull. And the hum had stopped. Holly laughed. "I guess it was just letting me know it was in the room."

"Now the test." Eira's voice was excited as she grabbed the black velvet bag. "Are you ready?"

Holly nodded. Eira took the stone from the bag and held it up high. The purple light that emanated from it danced over her hand and up her arm. A purple glow surrounded Eira like an aura. And when she looked at Holly her eyes were violet.

"It's so beautiful," Holly whispered.

Eira handed the stone to her brother. It reacted to him, of course, but not quite as strongly. Purple surrounded him, and changed his eye color, but it didn't dance around him.

And then he offered the stone to Holly. "I don't think so," Holly shook her head. "What if they cancel each other out and explode in my hands?"

"Probably best," Rhys agreed and placed the stone on the table. "Touch me, Celyn," he goaded her with a bright smile.

She touched the back of his hand. Her pulse quickened, and her heart fluttered, but the electricity between them was gone. "Bullocks," Rhys said disappointedly. When Holly tried to pull back dejected, he grabbed her hand and held it tight. "Guess we're going to the jeweler tomorrow," he sighed, but he smiled at Holly. She tried to pull away again, but he stopped her. "I love giving you things, Celyn," he whispered in her ear. "I'll buy you the entire store if you want it."

A bright red blush crept from her neck to her cheeks. And then he kissed her right where the blood pooled in her beautiful pale face and she shivered. It had nothing to do with magic, and it felt amazing.

"God, you two," Eira huffed. "Thank you Eira," she cried out sarcastically as she stomped up the stairs. "Thank you for the greatest discovery in modern alchemy history." She answered herself louder as she made it to the top of the steps. "Oh, it was nothing. You're welcome," she called out right before she slammed the door.

But Rhys and Holly were not listening. Rhys's lips moved to Holly's and her breathing grew more rapid. Her hand moved to his neck and pulled him closer.

Chapter Thirteen

The three of them smiled throughout dinner, a secret smile that only they perceived. They were what Holly had never had in her life; they were friends. They knew her, they trusted her, and above all they were not afraid of her. Well besides Rhys who was scared to death of her.

But not because he was afraid she would hurt him. Or maybe he was afraid she'd hurt him. But not physically; emotionally. Her kind mated for a purpose, not for love. They had girls to carry on their bloodlines, not children to love and care for.

And then he thought of his great-grandmother. She was always so dense. She had no idea that Angwyn never loved her. He married her because she was pretty, and came from a good family, and he needed an heir. But he never, ever loved her.

Thankfully Iolyn was providing the family with an heir, he thought as his eyes swept over Gemma. She was so in love and happy. But even she had no idea of the blessing (or curse) of her husband's family. She didn't live in the village, of course, or she would have known about Warlock Manor. He met her at university. The girls from the village either feared the Warlow boys or had some perverse desire to test their powers.

"Take me to your grandfather's lab," they would demand, and he would immediately stop seeing them. He hated those girls more than the ones who feared him.

Holly didn't fear him. She didn't have some strange curiosity about him. She knew what he was, and she understood. He feared that she would not want to mate with him, being an alchemist. Their baby would be more alchemist than druidess, after all.

And what if she did mate with him, and left him? He turned to gaze into her green eyes and her beautiful porcelain face. She awarded him with a soft smile, and reached out to take his hand. That was the worst thought of all.

Because he would never be able to move on from her. Thankfully Iolyn was the oldest, and was happily married. Rhys would never marry, he realized. He would never be able to give any part of him to anyone. Except Celyn, he realized as she squeezed his hand. He was hers to take or leave. Yes, he realized, he was very afraid. When she found out his real secret she would be very angry; maybe even leave him. He would tell her after dinner, he decided, and squeezed her hand back.

The three made their way to Angwyn's library after dinner. They didn't even sneak; they didn't try to be evasive. They even laughed as they opened the door. "We need to get down to business." Eira took charge again. "There has to be more hidden messages in the books. Rhys, you start to my left. Holly, you start to my right."

She turned to find the two of them sitting on one of the ancient but well preserved leather couches. Holly stared at the painting of Fflur, and Rhys stared at her. One hand idly traced over her hair, and the other held hers firmly as if he was afraid she'd run away.

Eira sighed as she grabbed a book from the shelf and held the spine shook it. It was a delicate book, well over two hundred years old, and she shook it like a cheap paperback. "I can't check the whole library on my own."

Holly stood reluctantly, and took the shelves to Eira's right. Rhys watched her for several moments, then took the shelves to her left. Holly removed several books and shook them just like Eira did.

"Do you really think we'll find the way to steal Rose's powers in one of these…" Holly stopped speaking as a hidden door opened behind the book case she had just pulled a book from. "What the?" She stepped away from the door as it swung toward her. "Did I open a trap door?"

"Holly, come over here." Rhys motioned her away from the door. But Holly peeked around the door, and found the bluest eyes she'd ever seen staring back at her.

"Fflur?" He didn't wait for her to answer. He pulled her into his arms and held her.

She stared at over the man's shoulder at Rhys, who frowned as he walked toward her. "It's not Fflur," he said slowly as he grabbed the shoulder of the man who held Holly.

"Of course it's Fflur," the man said, and took a step back to gaze at Holly. And she stared back at the man who could only be Angwyn Warlow.

Chapter Fourteen

"You faked Angwyn's death?" Holly glowered at Rhys.

"I didn't," Rhys tried to explain. "It was his idea."

"Oh, my God," Eira exclaimed. She couldn't stop herself from touching Angwyn.

He slapped her hand away. "I'm not a science experiment," he frowned at her.

He looked so much like Rhys, even more than his own father did. Holly's eyes grew wide as he took in the planes of his smooth face. He had absolutely no wrinkles. The two women in the room gawked, but Rhys didn't even look at Angwyn, his eyes were on Holly.

"You stole your grandmother's body," he countered.

Holly quickly turned to him, mouth agape. "How did you know?"

"I knew as soon as Ivy said her body was missing it was you." His bright blue eyes squinted, and his expression was hard as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Rose was going to _embalm_ her," Holly protested. "Can you imagine? Embalming a druidess?" Holly was clearly disgusted by the idea. "Anyway I didn't do it. Lily hired someone to do it for her. I was with you the entire time."

While Rhys and Holly argued, Angwyn gazed at Holly. Finally Holly huffed and crossed her arms in front of her, and tossed her hair in Rhys' direction. As she did, she encountered Angwyn's eyes.

"You're Fflur's great-granddaughter," he finally realized.

"Yes," Holly stated. "And I'm also…"

"My girlfriend," Rhys interrupted, and stared at Eira.

"Oh, stop it," Holly groaned. "He might as well know. I'm your great-granddaughter too, Angwyn."

His expression went from elated, to angry. And after several moments of clouds in his sky blue eyes, he laughed. Eira was not too pleased either. She reached out and punched her brother in the bicep. He let out a shocked, "Ouch!"

"Well," Angwyn said with the shake of his head, "there's a first for everything. Alchemist and druidess having children? This may cause the end of the world!"

Holly froze, and Rhys rolled his eyes.

"It may very well be," Eira nodded.

"Lily was your daughter, Angwyn," Holly tried to soothe him. "She died two weeks ago." She paused to choke back her own emotions. "I'm sorry."

Angwyn turned to look at the painting of Fflur. He muttered curse words in Welsh until Eira's cheeks were red. Holly had never heard most of the words he used.

He turned to Holly with venom in his eyes. "So she took the sorcerer's stone to her grave, did she?"

"No," Holly whispered.

"It's in your lab," Rhys told him.

"I needed Rhys' help to stop Rose, my mother," Holly said in a low voice. "She may just destroy the world."

"So, I have a granddaughter," Angwyn's eyes lightened a little. "And she's about to reek havoc?" He nodded almost as if he approved.

"You have two granddaughters, and two great-granddaughters." Holly tried to fill in the family tree. "I have a sister, Ivy. And Lily had two daughters, Rose and Poppy."

"I thought druidesses didn't have real families," Angwyn stared at her in disbelief.

"Lily didn't want to be like her mother. She wanted to be different." Holly shook her head. "But my mother, Rose, she didn't want to lose her power to her mother whom she saw as weak. She wanted to be a powerful druidess, and she wasn't going to share her power with her sister."

"And Rose? If she didn't want to share her power how did you come along?"

"I was unplanned, to put it mildly," Holly sighed.

"So, Rose is the bad druidess, and you need the alchemist's help to take her powers before she destroys yours?" Angwyn seemed to know a lot about her kind. Apparently he and Fflur spent more time together than she realized.

"You have it about right, yes," Holly nodded.

"But then there's Poppy," Eira stated.

"Poppy's missing," Holly reminded her. When Angwyn's eyebrows raised so much like Rhys', Holly shrugged. "Rose would have killed Poppy in order to keep her powers," Holly informed them.

"Surely she wouldn't have killed her own sister," Eira argued.

"She tried to kill me," Holly whispered.

"Rose is definitely a dangerous woman," Angwyn agreed. "Let's get to work on the solution you search for."

He walked down the steps and motioned for his great-grandchildren to follow. Rhys took Holly's hand and led her down the steps behind Eira.

"You two are cousins," Eira complained.

"Half third cousins," Rhys countered. Holly smiled. He must have thought it out already.

Eira shook her head. They followed Angwyn down to a hidden hallway. He made a left turn, pushed a wall, and a hidden doorway opened into his lab. The smell of the chemicals didn't bother her at all now that she had the ruby tucked into her pocket.

"So, you obviously know the immortality elixir," Holly stated the obvious. "What else can you do?"

"Oh, child, there is so much I can do," he said with a laugh. Then he looked around the lab, breathed in deeply, and smiled contentedly. "So, where's the stone?"

All three sets of eyes turned toward the empty glass case where Rhys placed the stone before they headed upstairs to change for dinner. The small cauldron was also gone. The only thing left on the counter by the glass enclosure was Angwyn's notebook.

"What did you do with the stone," Eira accused Rhys first.

"I didn't do anything with it," Rhys' voice grew deeper. His eyes flashed with anger. "What did _you_ do with it?" He stressed the word as he looked at his sister.

"I didn't take it," Eira's eyes matched her brother's. "Maybe Holly took it."

"Celyn was with me the entire time," Rhys countered.

"Even when you dressed for dinner?" Eira's dark eyebrows rose. Rhys shook his head. "Then either of you could have taken it."

"I can't do much with it," Holly countered. "There's no reason for me to take it."

"If you want to kill Rose so badly maybe you hid it to take it to America with you," Eira glared at Holly.

Holly looked defeated. She couldn't defend herself. "Go search my room and my things like you did while we were out." That deflated much of Eira's rage. Her shoulders dropped in a mirror image of Holly's posture.

"So we have no idea where the stone is and no way to stop Rose," Rhys surmised. He reached his arm out to Holly and pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder. Angwyn's eyes grew wide but he said nothing.

"Fflur stole it before." Angwyn didn't sound angry. "She probably stole it again."

"Fflur's been dead…" Holly's mouth became a small o as she stared at Angwyn. "No."

"Yes, I'm afraid so, dear," Angwyn nodded.

"You both drank the elixir?" Rhys asked. He held Holly closer.

"Of course, we were young and in love. We vowed to live together forever." Angwyn laughed as he stared at the two in front of him, so much like himself and Fflur. And then he changed his posture, took a step back, and stared hard at Holly. "No, she's not at all like Fflur," Angwyn changed his opinion.

Fflur would never look dejected. And, his lover would never have leaned against him for strength. She stood on her own in all things. Her posture was pin straight. Her eyes were like glittering emeralds, and her hair was as fiery red as her passionate nature. She would never have accepted failure. Fflur would have led the fight.

"So all we have to do is find a 120 year old, long dead woman." Eira spoke first. She obviously didn't lack fire.

"Seems that way," Rhys agreed.

"I've been looking for her for fifty years," Angwyn admitted. "And then I sent Rhys to America to look for her while I scoured Europe." Rhys looked sheepish at Holly. "It's harder now to sneak into America with a fake passport," Angwyn shrugged.

"I'm glad I was chosen to go." Rhys' voice became tender as he tipped Holly's chin up to look into her eyes.

Holly gifted him with one of her brilliant smiles.

"Good lord, get a room you two." Eira shook her head angrily. But the light inside her bright blue eyes and the slight upturn of her lips stated that she was not unhappy with her brother's choice for a girlfriend.

Chapter Fifteen

"I need a drink." Angwyn groaned and walked past Rhys and Holly, rolled his eyes, and headed back out the way they entered. Instead of climbing the steps to his formal apartments he took a right turn and walked toward a doorway at the end of the hall. A bunker type set of room was hidden inside. He had his own bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and sitting room equipped with a brand new computer and flat screen TV.

He hit the button on a remote and 80's easy listening pumped out of hidden speakers. Holly choked back a laugh, which earned a stern glance from Angwyn. He poured a glass of scotch whiskey from a decanter into a glass and downed it. Then he poured another for himself and one for Rhys. He didn't offer the ladies alcohol.

"Holly, you are the key," Angwyn insisted. "We need all the information you have on Fflur."

"How did you hide him? I mean, he was supposed to be like, 100. No one noticed he didn't age?" Holly's fascination with Angwyn was echoed on Eira's face. Rhys simply poured himself another drink.

"As I said earlier," Angwyn shook his head. "I have many capabilities. More than even you can imagine," he said as he pointed at Eira. She stood up straighter then, defiantly. "Perhaps I was wrong to refuse to teach you. I am from a different age."

Her face softened, but only a little. This caused Angwyn to laugh again. He nodded as he surveyed his great-granddaughter. She had so much fire and spirit he could almost imagine _she_ was Fflur's.

"Back to Fflur," he reminded them, and pulled out another notebook. It was much larger than the one he had lost to Fflur. Perhaps he had started another. "Fflur Bychan, from Anglesey, born August 29, 1899. I'm sure when she moved to America she changed her name and her identity. But I could never find any record of her."

"Fleur," Holly forced the word out of her mouth. "Fleur Little. But she could be anyone by now." She sighed, walked toward the table that held Angwyn's scotch, and poured herself a glass. She threw it back quickly, hating the taste of the alcohol but needing its reassuring warmth.

"I'd like one too," Eira stated. Holly poured herself another and one for Eira. She carried it over to her cousin, and handed it to her. They toasted each other, then drank the shots quickly. The more he saw of the two women, the more he liked them.

"She's probably with Poppy, if I had to guess," Holly wiped a tear from her eye as she realized Lily did not trust her with this information. "Poppy probably looks a lot like me." She exhaled and shivered, and Rhys wrapped both his arms around her. She enjoyed the comfort of his body as the warmth of the scotch flowed through her. "She could be anywhere in the world."

"No, because she only had a few hours between the time we left the stone until we came back for it." Eira showed again why she was the brains in the group.

"So she has to be near here?" Holly sounded almost excited.

"Where did she live in Anglesey?" Rhys wondered.

"She won't go back there, that's too easy," Angwyn shook his head.

"You two lovebirds drive there anyway," Eira suggested. "Give them the address, Angwyn. You and I will drive toward the airport." Angwyn wrote something down and handed it to Rhys.

"If I'd bought that helicopter this would be so much easier," Rhys laughed.

"Just drive," Eira shook her head. "We'll call you two if we find anything."

"We'll do the same." Rhys led Holly back to the lab, then they made their way up to the house. Holly quickly changed into jeans and a sweater, and the warm rain boots. She pulled on a wool coat and a scarf and carefully tucked the ruby into her pocket. Rhys knocked on her door dressed in warm comfortable clothing as well, and they made their way down the stairs.

Piers stood in the hallway, and as they passed him he nodded. "Piers, did you see anyone come in the house while we were gone?" Rhys asked when he saw Piers.

"No one but Miss Holly," he stated. "She said she'd forgotten her gloves. I liked your hair curly if I might say, Miss."

"Fflur," Rhys grumbled as he led her to the garage. The drive to the bridge was different in the dark. Everything seemed eerie. There were no street lights, and the still bare trees reached up hit toward the moon. Holly noticed that half the moon was now gone. And they had no way to defeat Rose.

"It will all be okay Celyn fi." He grabbed her hand and held it tight. He dialed the number for his sister's cell phone and handed it to Holly.

"Piers confirmed that Fflur was in the house earlier," Holly informed Eira. "He said he liked my hair curly."

"Well, that proves our suspicions were correct," Eira replied. "We're on the lookout for her but it's like finding a needle in a haystack."

"We'll call if we find anything." Holly touched the screen to end the call and handed the phone back to Rhys.

"They won't be heading away from the airport," Holly insisted. "They'll be leaving the country."

Rhys pulled off the road and stopped the car. "Celyn, I need you to do something." His voice was calm, serene. He exited the car, opened the door for her, and pulled her out with him. They walked toward another smaller monolith in a field several yards from them. "I need you to concentrate on Poppy, and tell me where she is."

Holly walked toward the small, ancient stone that once marked the home of a druidess. She had no idea who the other woman was, or if she was one of Fflur's ancestors. But she knew the stone marked a place where people would come to have their children healed and their crops and farms blessed.

"Celyn, think of Pabi," Rhys demanded. He knew that Poppy would be the weaker of the two. If Fflur knew where the stone was, she would know who brought it to Wales. And she would block Holly with all her power.

Holly couldn't focus. The wind did not sing to her. She stared up into the sky but the moon only taunted her. She shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out the ruby. "Take this," she whispered, and handed it to him.

As soon as he took the ruby her blood roared through her veins. She bent down in the darkness to pull a fistful of dirt out of the ground and held it. She felt alive. She felt alert. She felt a rush of adrenaline that made her body shake.

"Concentrate on Pabi," Rhys spoke in Welsh. Holly's eyes focused on a point somewhere in the distance.

She thought of her aunt, who Lily loved so much she sent her away with the strongest druidess she knew. She thought of Poppy who was saved from Rose's evil. She was sweet, loving, and gentle. She had a connection with nature that Rose could never understand. And her energy called out to Holly, so like her mother's.

"Holyhead," Holly whispered. "She's in a beautiful yellow hotel with a view of the bay."

"That's perfect, Celyn," he whispered and took her hand. "Good job, lovely. Now let's go back to the car."

He wrapped his arm around her and led her back to the tiny convertible.

"It steals my powers," Holly shivered as she realized the truth. "The red stone, it absorbs my powers somehow. I don't feel the sorcerer's stone because my powers are gone." She stared blankly at Rhys. "That's why she really stole the stone. Because either way she couldn't live with Angwyn. She could live with him and be powerless, or live without him and worry if he would use the stone against her. Either way, she was weak with him."

"I really didn't know," Rhys said adamantly. "I didn't know that it would do that."

"How can I trust what you say is true?" Holly stared at the stone she held again in her hand. "Everything you've said to me has been a lie."

"Celyn," he began.

"And I've led you right to Poppy and Fflur," Holly's voice was a low roar now. She dropped the stone in the floor by his feet. "Stop the car." It was not a request. It was a demand.

"Celyn, don't," he pleaded, but he slowed the car and pulled it to the side of the road. "I didn't know, I swear."

"Stop the car." Her words were clipped, succinct. She was on her island. The earth spoke to her. And he had no protection against her. He stopped the car. "Give me your phone." He pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to her. He was afraid of her. He would have done whatever she said. "Take the stone out of the car."

He opened the door and exited the car. "Celyn, don't. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to help you. Please, Celyn." His voice was a plea. He was near tears. He didn't want to lose her. He didn't want her to distrust him. But he did as she asked. He took the ruby and stepped away from the car. "How will you know how to reach them?"

She stepped out of the car and climbed into the driver's side. "The island will tell me where to go." She was the Anglesey druidess again. Her voice vibrated with her power. He didn't need to see a demonstration. The last thing he wanted was to give Celyn a reason to use her power.

"Are you going to leave me out here to freeze?" He called to her before she closed the door. She closed her eyes and thought for a split second, and he became warm. Somehow she warmed him; from the inside out he imagined. "I'll call your sister when I'm near Holyhead. I won't let you freeze."

"Celyn, you have to understand. I didn't know, I swear." His hands were out in front of him. And his eyes were glassy with tears.

"I understand," she nodded. But there was no emotion in her voice, only determination. "But I have to find my family. I can't defeat Rose if I don't have my powers. And to use the sorcerer's stone against Rose would mean that I would be powerless. She could do anything to me. She could finally kill me." Rhys knew she was right. But it didn't make him feel any better about it.

She waved before she climbed into his car and headed west. She would finally meet her aunt, and her great-grandmother. She was too excited to worry about Rhys standing on the side of the road in the dark.

She'd nearly forgotten about him until his phone rang. "Holly, did you find Fflur?" It was his sister's voice on the other end.

"Yes, but I can't tell you where she is. I have to do this alone." She paused for a moment. She took a breath and explained where they would find Rhys. "He'll explain why I had to leave him. Angwyn already knows. The druidesses need to do this on their own."

She touched the screen to end the call. She drove to the hotel, and parked the tiny little convertible. She walked straight to door 213 and knocked.

The woman who opened the door looked back at her with soft blue eyes and a warm smile. Her hair was a dark auburn, and her skin was a peachy hue. "Pabi," Holly whispered as the woman opened her arms to her.

"Celyn," she smiled brightly. "We've been waiting on you."

Holly looked into the room and there, relaxing in a dark leather chair, was her mirror image. "Hello Fflur," she said as Poppy closed the door.

Chapter Sixteen

"We've been waiting on you," Fflur said as she stood to greet Holly. She wore black leather pants and a matching jacket, and a soft white camisole underneath. Holly sniffed the air around her, and felt her stomach lurch. That much real cowhide in a room made Holly nauseous. Her hair was nearly the same color, but Fflur's was a much more intense red. Holly's had more of a copper sheen. And, of course, Fflur's hair was curly. Fflur's eyes were the color of emeralds. Holly's was more of a leaf green. But the resemblance was striking.

"Lily sent pictures of you, so proud of how you look like me. I don't see it." Fflur wasn't trying to be rude, really. She just felt superior to everyone. She was after all the one true druidess in the family, not a mixture of different disciplines like the rest of them.

"I think she looks just like you Fflur." Poppy's voice held the same fascination the Warlow siblings had for Holly's resemblance to her great-grandmother. But they shouldn't because Rhys looked just as much like Angwyn.

Poppy's smile was sweet, her tone was soft, and her eyes were bright with hope and intelligence. Although she didn't look exactly like Lily, she smiled at her aunt and said, "You remind me of Lily."

Her eyes became misty as she sighed. "You think so?" Holly nodded. Apparently Ivy had inherited some of Poppy's emotional traits.

"I miss her," Holly admitted, and slumped down on the bed. She felt tired, and worn out from all the intrigue and drama from the past two weeks. She just wanted to stop Rose and get it over with, and move on with her life.

But then she stared at Poppy, so content with her life, and Fflur, so full of energy and power, and she realized yet again that she didn't fit in. There were two druidesses in their little coven as well. No place for Holly. She shoved her hands in her pockets, and realized the only place she'd really felt accepted was with Rhys. She felt for his phone in her pocket, and grabbed hold of it as if she grabbed hold of his hand.

"Do you have your passport with you? Because we really should be leaving soon," Fflur stated as she looked down at her watch.

Holly's hand moved to her purse where she'd kept her passport in case she needed it while she was out. "Where are we going?" Holly wondered, but Poppy simply smiled.

"Dublin, then we're flying to West Virginia," Fflur informed her. She grabbed the bags she'd already packed and sat by the door. Poppy took hers off the bed, and they left all the lights on as they left the room. Holly could see the lights from outside, and assumed they'd left them on so the Warlows would think they were still there. If they figured out what room they were in.

Holly clung to Rhys' phone as she climbed into the dark SUV with her great-grandmother and aunt. She thought of the picture she left in her room of Lily, Poppy and Rose and hoped that Rhys didn't destroy it. And above all, she hoped he would forgive her.

Fflur had timed it perfectly, of course. As soon as they landed in Dublin and made it through customs they made their way to the airport. Fflur sweet talked a customs officer to hurry them along, and he somehow got them through in no time. She used the cutest Welsh accent and touched his hand, and he was putty.

Holly noted that she used a UK passport. It was a very good fake; but the name on the passport was Gwendolyn Pierce and the age was 32. She introduced Holly and Poppy as her cousins from the US. "They came over to visit me, now we're all going over to have a nice visit in the states," Fflur cooed and moved into his body.

His ruddy cheeks became bright red. "Are you sure you're 32? You look more like 20."

"Oh, dear you are too sweet," Fflur purred. "How about I call you when I'm back in the UK?"

"That would be great," the man said with a huge grin. He didn't even realize she hadn't taken his number. They made it through security at the airport in Dublin just as easily. Fflur definitely had a way with people. Her charm was incredible to watch. Holly may look like Fflur, but she was nothing like her.

Since Holly had no luggage, and it was an international flight, Fflur gave her two of her suitcases to lug around. "For looks," Fflur insisted with a smile.

They flew first class, Holly and Poppy on one side of the aisle and Fflur on the other. She sat next to some superstar actor, and the man was blushing like a schoolgirl. Holly rolled her eyes.

She turned her attention to her aunt who would be her travelling companion for several hours. Although she was beautiful in her own way, no one could hold a candle to Fflur. And Poppy seemed unaffected.

"My daughter," Poppy said as she held her phone up so Holly could see it. "Her name is Lily. She's 20 and at university." Holly stared at the face of a beautiful young woman with light chestnut hair and bright blue eyes. Warlow eyes, just like her mother's. Holly wondered if Poppy even knew.

"She's very beautiful," Holly commented honestly.

Poppy nodded proudly and shoved her phone back into her pocket. "She's not come into her powers yet," Poppy said very softly. "I can't do the ritual with her because of Fflur." She sounded sad, and her eyes were misty again.

"You remind me of Ivy too," Holly grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "She's very emotional."

"Fflur says I am too emotional, like Lily," Poppy sighed. "She also said I was foolish when I married my husband, Lily's dad. He was a police officer. He was killed on duty." Poppy's voice actually cracked.

Holly remembered why her sister deplete her nerves so. Holly had to change the subject somehow. "Where have you too been all these year?"

"In a small town on Anglesey." Poppy smiled brightly at that. Apparently she'd been happy there.

"But Angwyn Warlow has been searching for Fflur all this time." Holly was shocked that they'd hidden so close to him.

"Fflur enjoyed being so close and not allowing him to find her," Poppy shrugged. "We travelled to America every few months. I used to watch you playing in the back yard at mother's house."

"No!" Holly laughed. "And I never once saw you."

"Well it was a big house, and Lily always had you home by evening."

"And Rose never knew where you were?" Holly could hardly believe it.

"You have no idea the power Fflur possesses," Poppy's voice was lower still. At that moment Fflur laughed brightly. The man beside her shivered.

"Hmmm." Holly missed Rhys. They'd been apart for less than a day and she missed him. She was sure she'd see him again, though. The Warlows would invade Charleston if they had to in order to get the stone back.

Holly wondered if they were on a plane there now. She wondered if Rhys was fine being left in the cold. She'd upped his metabolism only slightly to ward off the chilly wind. She knew he would eat constantly until she saw him again to turn it down, or his body regulated it. She smiled at the thought.

She pulled out his phone, and in the biggest breach of privacy she could think of she opened his pictures.

The first pictures were of a cute red head. In Holly's opinion she was too old and not pretty enough for Rhys. There were a few pictures that were embarrassing for Holly to look at; Rhys kissing the other woman.

But there were also pictures that made her smile: pictures of Iolyn and Gemma at their wedding, Eira looking uncomfortable in a turquoise bridesmaid dress, and Gemma's tummy growing bigger. Iolyn and Gemma looked so happy together with his cheek on her belly.

And then there were pictures of Holly: while she waited on him, while they shopped, and when she threw herself to her knees on the island. She'd had no idea he'd taken them. She wrapped her hands around the phone and held it to her chest.

She turned to her aunt who was asleep in the seat beside her. Fflur slept as well, and so did the actor. So she sat alone with her shame. She shouldn't have left Rhys that way. She knew he was honest about the stone, he didn't know that it would steal her power.

The red stone didn't react to the alchemists, only to Holly. And the violet stone didn't react to Holly when Holly held the red stone. So somehow they effected or reacted to the electromagnetic activity in the brain.

And then it hit her. She knew what they needed to do in order to steal Rose's powers. But she knew she couldn't do it alone. She needed the alchemists' help. But how did she ask them to make a potion that would change Rose's brain chemistry? Wouldn't that mean that at any time they could do the same thing to her, or Fflur, or Poppy, or any other druidess?

No. She wouldn't. She would keep it to herself and the family would handle it on their own. She closed her eyes and thought about how much she missed Rhys.

After nearly two days travelling they finally landed in Charleston. Holly was exhausted. She felt like she hadn't slept since she left Wales. And more than anything she wanted to see Rhys. After another hour in a rented car they arrived at Lily's house.

And even that didn't make her happy, because she knew that the house was now Fflur's. She really had no where to call home. She made her way up the steps to her bedroom, where the paintings of the Anglesey coast just depressed her. It was a sad excuse for the real thing.

She took Rhys' phone out of her coat pocket, and removed the rest of her clothes. She threw them down in the floor where she stood. She retrieved a gown from her drawer and pulled it over her head. Then she climbed into bed, still holding his phone.

The phone vibrated through the night, but it didn't wake her. She didn't wake up until her aunt quietly knocked on her door. For a moment she expected it to be Rhys knocking on the adjoining door between their rooms. She smiled brightly, rolled over, and looked out the window. She knew she was back in West Virginia, and her smile quickly turned to a frown. The blooms budding on every tree should have made her happy, but on this day nothing would.

"Holly, can I come in?" The soft voice of her aunt called through the door. "I brought you food."

"Yes, come in," she said a little too grumpy. It was not her aunt's fault she was not in Wales. She shouldn't take it out on her.

When Poppy sat the tray beside her with pancakes, eggs smothered in cheese, and potatoes she nearly wept. She was reminded of the days she carried the tray up to Rhys, and his bare chest and sleepy eyes. "I made you breakfast," she said in that sing-song accent.

"Thanks," Holly said as she sat up in the bed.

"You miss your alchemist," Poppy observed. Holly nodded. "Well you'll see him soon." Poppy picked up the clothes Holly had strewn across the floor and placed them on the chair in the corner.

"Will you tell me something?" Holly had been afraid to ask, but she needed to know. "Why didn't Lily leave Rose with Fflur and take you away to Anglesey?"

Poppy laughed softly. Everything about Poppy was soft and sweet. Her clothes were neat and put together with the perfect accessories. Her hair was perfectly styled. She was so much like Lily and Ivy she would have sworn they were raised together.

"Isn't it obvious?" Poppy answered with her own question, and stared into Holly's green eyes. She waited for the answer to click in her head. And then she nodded. "Fflur and Rose were too much alike."

Holly's mouth made a small o and her eyes became wide. She'd been shocked so much the past few weeks, this should not affect her. But it did.

"A druidess shouldn't be selfish and self-serving," Poppy stated. "But if you haven't noticed, Fflur thinks more of herself than anything else. She eats meat." She whispered the last sentence. Holly smiled at that. It said so much about Rose and Fflur. No one could be as connected to nature as they and enjoy any life being taken.

"I think I understand," Holly grinned.

"Fflur spent a lot of time with Rose when she was small. Rose saw everything she was capable of. And she was so angry at our mother when she had me. She thought she had thrown it all away. That's when she began to act up."

Holly thought causing the death of her step-fathers was more than acting up. "So why did Lily want to give it up and be normal?" She had no idea why anyone would want to be just like everyone else. She loved being special. And she had no desire to be with a normal guy and live a normal life.

"She saw what Fflur became: the immortality potion, using her power for her own gain. She was almost as bad as the alchemists." Poppy said this, and when she realized her insensitivity she bit her lip. "I'm sorry. Your alchemist might be perfectly nice."

"He is," Holly stated. "I miss him." She even felt a tear fall over her cheek. She had no one else to talk to. Everything that she'd bottled up over the years came pouring out. "I've never fit in anywhere, not with my mom, or my sister, or the kids at school. I couldn't be myself with anyone. I had to hide who I was. That is, until I met Rhys. He understands me, because he's different like me." Holly glanced up to at her aunt, whose blue eyes had become misty again. "You above anyone should understand how I feel."

Poppy sobbed. "I do," she nodded.

"His sister gets me too. She's so smart. And Rhys is so handsome," Holly admitted. "You have the Warlow eyes."

"I'd always wondered where my blue eyes came from," Poppy laughed. "Now I know."

"I'd like to meet your daughter," Holly stated. Perhaps the two of them could help each other cope.

"I think she'll like you," Poppy nodded. "Now get out of this bed and go shower. Fflur wants to have a family meeting."

Those words scared the life out of Holly. But she smiled and stretched as Poppy gathered the tray and left the room. When she threw the covers off Rhys' phone shifted on the bed. She picked it up and found several text messages from Rhys. _I miss you. I'm in Charleston. Come find me._ He gave the hotel and room number. She wondered if Angwyn came with them. She wanted to be in the room when Angwyn and Fflur saw each other again.

She showered and dressed and made her way downstairs. She heard someone in the kitchen and found Poppy cleaning up after breakfast. Holly gave her one of her happy smiles. "Thank you for feeding me," she said sweetly.

"You're welcome," she said and took her hand. It felt nice. She finally had someone else who understood her. "Fflur is downstairs."

Holly nodded, and they went through all the security and walked down the steps together. Fflur sat in the small library, reading one of the many books on Ceridwen. She turned her attention to Holly, and she took in Holly's worn jeans and tight t-shirt with barely hidden disgust. Fflur wore a light green silk dress that must have cost thousands of dollars.

"We will have to meet with Rose and Ivy before the Equinox, which is now less than a week away. And we really have no idea how to stop her, short of killing her."

"I have an idea," Holly said, then regretted it. Fflur's sparkling emerald eyes fell on Holly, and she felt them searching into the recesses of her brain.

"Does it have anything to do with Angwyn's great-grandson?" Fflur's tone was combative. Holly frowned. "Anything that has to do with the alchemists is off limits."

"We have no way to take another druidess' powers," Poppy reminded Fflur. "It's built in to our DNA."

"So what can we really do to Rose?" Holly's frown became a smirk. "I only see two endings. One is that Rose and Ivy are going to do the ritual, and my powers are going to fade while Rose's grow."

"What's the other?" Poppy asked sweetly. She said it to placate Holly, even if it would anger Fflur.

"The alchemists make an elixir to change Rose's electromagnetic activity." Fflur glared at Holly, but she continued anyway. "If they can take a ruby and make it interfere with my powers, they can make a potion to do the same to Rose."

She said it, but she didn't feel any better about it. Fflur chuckled. "So he gave you a ruby too and told you it would protect you from their stone."

"He didn't know that it would cancel them out. But the sorcerer's stone didn't affect you when you touched it, because you didn't have the right brain waves." Holly sputtered out the words. "The ruby hummed until I picked it up. Rhys and Eira didn't hear it."

"Even if they could make a potion that could only change Rose's brain functions, how do we get her to take it?" Two pairs of green eyes locked and held each other's stare. Neither backed down.

"I don't know. But at least I have a plan. What do you have?" Holly knew she went too far. The air in the room crackled with electricity. Holly felt it creep up her back and tingle at the back of her neck. It felt almost like the sorcerer's stone. "I'm going to go find the alchemists. When you have a better plan you let me know."

Holly refused to cry as she returned to her bedroom. She had only a few outfits still in her closet, but after Fflur judged her clothes she wasn't about to see Rhys for the first time in days in her old jeans. She picked a black sweater dress in soft mohair wool. She climbed into her old car, remembering her new electric car was probably ready at the dealer.

The sky was clear and sunny, and all the trees and flowers were bursting with blooms. She knew the cause was all the druidesses in one place. Even that couldn't calm her down. And as she drove toward the interstate she heard thunder and saw lightening. She knew her emotions caused the storm to creep up. Then the rain came, and the tears poured from her cheeks.

Did she betray her kind and ask for help? Or did she silently allow her mother's wicked powers to win? She wished she knew the right thing to do.

Chapter Seventeen

She knocked on the door of Rhys' hotel room. He might not even be there, she thought as she waited for him to open. And just as she was about to knock again, the door flew open and she was in Rhys' arms. She'd never in her life felt as good as in that moment. She sobbed as he held her tighter still.

Soon they were on the couch and he pulled her into his lap. It was such a familiar feeling now, to be held by him. She let his warmth flow over her. She sat curled up in his arms for several minutes, until she became hot. And she had to laugh.

"This is your doing, druidess," he reminded her. As she tried to move away he held her closer still. That's when she realized that he didn't wear a shirt. He wore only a pair of jogging shorts. That caused another wave of warmth to flow through her, reddening her cheeks.

"Whatever you are thinking, stop." He sighed. "My heart can't take it." She laughed again. "Please fix me. I haven't been cool since you left me on the side of the road days ago."

She closed her eyes and concentrated on his hypothalamus gland; the part of the brain that regulates the metabolism. She slowed the process down slightly, until it was again normal.

And that's when it hit her. She pulled away from him suddenly, her bright green eyes wide as she stared into his. "I can do it," Holly whispered.

"You can do what?" Rhys wondered.

"I can change Rose's brain," Holly realized. "I can do it." She smiled at him as his hand moved to caress her hair.

"Yes, Celyn fi, you could." There was no fear in his voice when he said it. And he gazed at her as if she was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. He held her hair in his hand to hold her head steady as he moved toward her. "I've waited days for this," he murmured as he moved closer to her. "I missed you so much."

And then his lips were on hers, and there was no more need to talk. The kiss was gentle. His lips were soft and sweet against hers. Her lips parted on their own, and her tongue slipped past to taste his lips. He moaned loudly. Her fingers found his dark hair, and thread into it. Her other hand found his shoulder and pulled him into her. She needed this. She needed him near her. She moved closer into his body, feeling his still warm chest against hers. He couldn't pull away from her. They were like opposite ends of a magnet, an unseen force pulling them together.

His groan startled her as he wrapped both his arms around her tiny waist and held her tight against him. And suddenly he pulled away from her lips. His bright blue eyes showed only happiness as he said, in a hushed tone, "I love you Celyn." She finally felt at home.

She gave him one of his smiles and wrapped her arms around his neck. Just then Eira entered the room through the adjoining door. Even she smiled as she exclaimed, "God, you two!" She didn't leave them alone, though. She joined them on the couch, not caring what she had interrupted.

"Where's Angwyn," Holly wondered.

"He stayed in Wales," Eira provided. "I think he has a secret fear of flying."

"And I was so hoping to watch the reunion," Holly sighed dramatically. Eira laughed.

"So tell me, what happened between you and Fflur." Eira's blue eyes were vibrant.

"She's disappointed in me. I can see it in her eyes." Holly's shoulders drooped. "She doesn't want me to involve the alchemists." Holly tried to mimic Fflur's tone and accent.

Rhys squeezed her shoulder. "Angwyn had nothing good to say about Fflur."

"Manipulative, selfish, man-eater," Eira said as she shook her head. "Those were the good things."

"She chose her powers, her traditions, over love," Holly reminded them. "I'm sure Angwyn wouldn't have given up everything for Fflur."

Eira sat thoughtfully for several moments. "They had two different destinies to fulfill. Angwyn had so much pressure from his father."

"And Fflur had to continue her bloodline," Holly agreed.

Holly gazed up into Rhys' eyes. Her apprehension was apparent. "We are not like them," Rhys pointed out. He touched her cheek, and smiled weakly. "Angwyn was the oldest, the only son. He had to have a male heir or the title would be lost."

"I understand," Holly sighed. "But what about…"

"The stone?" Eira asked. Holly nodded. "Of course we want it back. But our main goal is to help you. We're a team now."

It made Holly smile to think that they felt the same way she did. "Fflur's afraid. She is afraid, and rightly so, of it. If you can create a stone that can cancel out my powers, you can do anything."

"You changed my metabolism." Rhys chuckled. "I've said I don't want to know what you can do. But really, what can you do?"

"Our bodies have a link to nature. Everything is connected. And I can manipulate anything in nature." Holly tried to make it sound less ominous.

"Anything?" Rhys echoed.

"Anything," Holly nodded.

"Animals?" Eira asked. Holly nodded. "Rocks?" Holly nodded.

"What about your premonitions. Are those part of the druid lineage?"

"I think so," Holly shrugged. "Somehow Rose and Lily both knew you were coming." She grinned at Rhys. "But I don't know about the other things." She still sat protected in Rhys' arms; so she said what she felt. "I knew that Ivy was going to turn on the gas in my apartment. And I knew the winning lottery numbers. I could do it again if I wanted to. The original druids were a kind of fortune tellers. I think we can all do it to a certain extent."

"You won a lottery?" Eira was stunned. Rhys nodded. "How much?"

"You don't want to know," he laughed. "Enough."

"I'm hungry," Holly interrupted them. She was tired of being under Eira's microscope. "You should get dressed and take us out somewhere."

"Okay," he agreed easily and hurried to the bedroom part of the suite.

"Will you please not hurt him," Eira begged Holly. "He's so crazy about you." Holly blushed. "No, really. When you left him, he was torn up inside. He was seriously afraid you'd never see him again." Holly's eyes went to her hands. "You know why it's hard for him to connect to women. We're different, Holly. We're not like everyone else." Holly knew what she meant, because she felt the same way. "We don't have to hide what we are from you. Do you know how that feels?"

"Of course I do," Holly turned her gaze to Eira, meeting her eyes. "I know how special that is."

"Good," Eira sighed deeply. "Protect it." Holly smiled. They heard the door open and Rhys entered the sitting area dressed in a black suit with a black tie. He looked supremely handsome. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of him.

"Shall we," he offered her his hand. She nodded and took it.

"Don't think you're leaving me here," Eira asserted and followed along after them. He took them to an expensive steak house in the city, and Holly shook her head when he ordered a thick steak. She ordered a salad and a baked potato, and macaroni and cheese.

They chatted happily about their separate journeys back to the states over an appetizer until Fflur approached their table. "May I join you?" She asked smoothly as she took the empty seat beside Eira. She wore a black suede skirt and jacket, and a red silk shirt underneath. She was exquisite.

Eira's eyes became glued to Fflur, as much out of distrust as shock. Rhys' eyes narrowed, a reaction that told Holly he was not happy.

The waiter quickly approached and offered Fflur a menu. She shook her head. "Bring me a glass of your most expensive red wine," she said instead.

The waiter looked from Fflur to Holly and asked, "are you two twins?"

"No, we are not twins," Fflur sneered. "Please just bring my wine." The waiter's face turned red, and he left hurriedly. She turned her attention to Rhys, and gave him a dazzling smile. "You are much better looking than Angwyn." Her entire demeanor changed immediately.

Rhys simply nodded curtly. "What do you want, Fflur?" His tone mirrored the one she took with the waiter. Holly was astounded.

"Well, if you must know," she began in English, but changed to Welsh seamlessly, "I want you to stay out of our business. We don't need your help, alchemist." She used the term as an insult.

"You wouldn't say that now if you hadn't stolen Angwyn's rock," Rhys admonished her.

"But I do have the rock," she smiled happily. "You won't get it back. I've hidden it where my little twin here won't find it."

"I have faith that you are entirely wrong," Rhys snarled.

Fflur's wine was delivered at the same time as their meals. Holly pushed her food around her plate, but Rhys refused to allow Fflur to disrupt his meal. "What has she told you about our predicament?"

"That Rose will disrupt the balance of power if she performs the ritual at Equinox and Holly does not. It looks as if the balance will shift without our help." Rhys precisely cut his steak and took a bite, savoring the taste and the knowledge that that he was right.

"You know, I'm not so sure you want to maintain the balance," Eira commented in her intelligent manner. "You seem very self-absorbed for a druidess. I mean, if it were my decision I would want to defeat Rose by any means necessary." Eira's eyebrows rose.

"You are one also." Fflur pondered the thought as she sipped her wine. "I bet Angwyn is not happy about having a female alchemist in the family."

"He doesn't mind," she countered. "Especially since I found a way to enhance Holly's powers. She will be the strongest of all of you. Even without the ritual her powers won't fade."

"I don't believe you." Fflur laughed and shook her head. "If that were possible Angwyn would have done it for me."

"Maybe he just didn't want to do it for you," Eira chided.

"You're lying." Fflur's mouth contorted into a scowl. "Either way you aren't getting the stone." She finished her wine and her eyes bore into Holly. "I can't believe you are choosing them over your family."

"You didn't trust me enough to tell me you were alive until Lily died." Holly sighed. She wasn't angry, she was hurt. "I could have used your help in preparing her body. But you weren't even there for that."

Fflur flipped her hair and straightened her shoulders. "Yes, you're right. I should have been there." She genuinely looked remorseful. "Thank you for not allowing Rose to bury her."

"I did it for Lily." Holly stated pointedly. "She was the only mother I had." Mothers and daughters held a special bond in their world. Holly claimed that bond with Lily. "Things could have been so different if you'd just stopped Rose when she was small. You could have given her the dragon pendant when she was a child. She wouldn't have known the difference."

"By the time her powers had come into being it was already too late. She was so strong willed." Fflur's eyes were bright with the memory.

"That had nothing to do with the stories you told her, did it?" Holly countered. "How many times did you read Ceridwen's story to her?"

"I am proud of what I am," Fflur affirmed. Holly felt the energy in the air again. It tingled under her ears and almost hurt. And then the glass in front of her broke. Everyone at the table knew she did it. The waiter quickly came and cleaned it up, apologizing profusely. He had no idea that Fflur did it by manipulating the air around her.

Rhys reached out to grab Holly's hand under the table. She held on for dear life.

"Don't fool yourselves into believing we need you." She pulled a bill out of her wallet and laid it on the table. She nodded quickly to Holly and strode out of the restaurant.

"Ewww," Eira shivered. "The hairs on the back of my neck are still standing on end."

Rhys rolled his eyes. "She didn't hit on you."

"What did Angwyn see in her," Eira wondered.

"I have no idea." Rhys laughed. Holly grew quiet again. "This isn't about you, Holly. Couldn't you feel it in the air? She's toxic."

"Hmm?" Holly had felt the change in the air when she began to use her power, but before that she didn't feel anything. Or did she? She felt the same way she did around Rose. She felt…

"Defensive," Rhys finished her thought out loud. Holly remembered what Poppy had said about keeping Fflur and Rose apart.

"Did you really find a way to increase my powers?" Holly asked excitedly.

Eira looked around as if she was afraid someone would see her. And then she nodded almost imperceptivity. "But I can't do it without the stone," she whispered. "But we brought you something almost as good."

"An entire bag of Anglesey soil," he chuckled. "But don't use it against me. I couldn't take it." He squeezed her hand. She knew what he meant and she blushed. "Now eat your lunch," he insisted.

She reluctantly returned to Lily's house with a bagful of soil in her purse. Kissing Rhys good-bye was torture. She didn't want to leave him, and he didn't want to be left. And the soil in her purse made her bold, and it made the kisses much more pleasurable.

"Have you eaten," Poppy asked when she entered the living room. "I made leek soup and potato cakes, and cake." Holly had grown a little too used to Delia's cooking, and happily ate the traditional Welsh food. She didn't tell Poppy about Fflur finding them in the restaurant. But she didn't need to.

"She hid it in Anglesey," Poppy whispered. "At the Bryn Celli Ddu." Quickly she changed the subject, and Fflur entered the room. She was telling Holly the ingredients for the stew as Fflur glared at the two of them. Holly all but ignored her.

"Fflur, would you like some dinner," Poppy asked politely.

"No, thank you," she stated and huffed off.

"You remind me of Lily," Poppy said gently and patted her hair.

The small gesture of affection comforted Holly more than Poppy could know. "Thank you."

Holly hurriedly finished eating and made her way outside to the tree that marked Lily's ashes. Lilies were in full bloom around it in the middle of March. She shook her head at the thought, but knew what had caused it. She closed her eyes, thought of Lily, and asked for signal for Rhys' phone. And when she dialed the number the call went through.

"Rhys, it's at the Bryn Celli Ddu," she told him.

"I love you, Celyn," he said again.

"I love you too, Rhys," she admitted, and quickly hung up the phone.

Chapter Eighteen

The next day brought several wonderful surprises. Poppy told her that she'd invited her Lily to come for the Equinox, and she would arrive at the airport at 2 pm. Holly took Poppy with her to pick up her little electric car, and then they drove to Rhys' hotel. She picked up Rhys and Eira, and they all went to breakfast together.

The mood was light as they became acquainted over Welsh tales and shared experiences. And when Holly informed them that Poppy had told her where the stone was, they were grateful. "Angwyn found it," Rhys told them. "He's bringing it over. He'll be here later tonight."

Holly was shocked, of course. And Rhys' eyebrow rose. "I'd like you to come with us. We may need your help if there are any problems with customs." Holly didn't need to ask what he meant. She'd seen Fflur work her own magic over the men who worked at the airport.

"But there won't be any customs in Charleston," Holly protested. "He'll pass through customs in…" Her eyes grew distant as she thought.

"Celyn," he whispered in her ear to bring her back to reality.

"He'll go through customs in Chicago. He'll pass through with no problems." And then she smiled brightly at him.

"I'd still like you to come with me, Celyn." His tone said something that he couldn't say aloud, and his hand took hers under the table. She nodded her agreement.

Poppy seemed genuinely pleased with Rhys and Eira, and when she left them at their hotel, with a quick kiss for Rhys, Poppy nodded. "Lily would have loved him." That was good enough for Holly.

They went straight from the hotel to the airport, and mother and daughter greeted each other warmly. It raised Holly's spirits to see the close relationship between the two. She was a tiny bit jealous, but not much. "So, are you ready for your first ritual," Poppy asked after they were in the car and headed toward Lily's house.

"Oh." Lily's smile belied her simple response.

"She's ready," Poppy said proudly. "I have a robe for you. I brought it from Wales. I made it myself."

That left Holly to perform the ritual with Fflur. And it scared her, more than the thought that they couldn't stop Rose did. Poppy patted her hand, and reassured her that everything would be fine. "I've seen how it ends," she admitted to Holly. "You and Rhys will both be fine."

She joined Poppy and Lily in her grandmother's house. Poppy showed her to the second guest bedroom, where she had stayed as a young girl. Holly still couldn't believe they had kept two little girls from meeting up in the house, but somehow the older women did it.

Fflur had taken over her daughter's room, which irked Holly. She didn't think anyone should take Lily's room, but Fflur had no qualms about it. Holly wondered if Fflur had qualms about anything.

Poppy began to cook a traditional Welsh stew, and turned on the oven to bake bread and cakes. Lily explained to Holly that she was studying ecological and veterinary sciences at the University of Wales. Holly became enthralled in the idea that she could study the science of caring for nature, and decided that in the fall she would enroll in a program. But she had no idea where she would be in the fall.

"Come to university with me," Lily implored. "That way we won't feel so alone." Holly liked the idea, and agreed. She would simply play the lottery again and win enough money to take care of herself in Wales.

The three women ate without Fflur, who did not announce where she was going. After dinner she left to meet Rhys at the hotel.

"We're going to need you when we make the third stone," Eira told her when she entered Rhys' room. "We only have three days until the Equinox."

"What do you need from me? My hair," Holly wondered.

"No, we need your DNA," Rhys said. He moved to her and held her in his arms, close enough that she could hear his heart beating. "You are going to win, Celyn. I am going to make sure of it."

Holly and Eira waited at the hotel while Rhys gathered Angwyn at the airport. Eira looked over everything twice, making sure they had all the supplies they needed. Thankfully they'd not only brought soil from Anglesey, they also brought a small sample of water as well. They would need it, plus Holly's DNA and hair, and the small emerald that Rhys had purchased that day. And of course, the stone and cauldron which were both safe in Angwyn's possession.

Eira paced away her nervous energy, but Holly patiently watched reruns of a show about witches. When Angwyn arrived they carefully began the experiment.

Angwyn ruffled her hair and pinched her cheek when he saw her. "You're a wee bit of trouble, aren't you girl?" But his eyes shined with pride as they did when he gazed at Eira as she prepared the ingredients.

"Spit in the cauldron," Eira ordered Holly. She paused for only one second, then spit. She felt uncomfortable doing it in front of three pairs of bright blue eyes, but she shrugged. This needed to be done. "Now this," Eira said as she plucked a hair from Holly head. She frowned, but didn't complain. Soon the rest of the ingredients were in the cauldron along with the emerald.

"You might want this," Rhys stated as he handed her the ruby. She gripped it tightly as Eira pulled Angwyn's rock from its velvet bag. Violet light flashed around the room and green smoke poured from the cast iron pot.

"Let's see what happens," Angwyn reached in and grabbed the emerald. This stone buzzed like a swarm of bees. Angwyn handed her the emerald, and she felt the blood soar through her veins like she did on Anglesey. She shivered from the pure exhilaration of it. She tuned the air around her to vibrate, and the glass specimen holder in front of Eira busted.

"I assume it worked," Rhys laughed.

"I believe it did." She exhaled slowly. She felt her heart racing. She felt her breathing quicken. Her brain even thought faster. Everything around her seemed to happen in slow motion.

"Let's test it," Rhys tempted her as he crooked his finger at her.

"Oh, good Lord you two," Eira huffed, and pulled Angwyn out of the room. "They're going to kiss," she groaned. But she turned to watch them touch for purely scientific reasons. Nothing glowed as he moved to kiss her. She sighed gratefully and pulled Angwyn into her room.

They moved to the balcony where he kissed her neck and played with her hair. She watched the clouds move in front of the moon that was now almost empty. Three nights from now they would have to challenge Rose.

"The hills remind me of Wales," Holly said lightly.

"Almost," he added as his hand moved up her back to her neck.

"Almost," she agreed.

Chapter Nineteen

The sun rose just like every other morning. But this was not like every other morning. At 6 am Holly was outside kneeling at the tree she'd planted for her grandmother. She heard the birds' heartbeats in the trees as they awoke. She felt the insects' wings as they beat the wind. And she felt the electricity all around her ready to do her bidding.

She could move the leaves around her with a simple thought to change the direction of the wind. She heard a snake slither from its hole five feet away from her, and brought it to lay beside her. She had always been afraid of snakes. Now she was afraid of nothing, not even Rose. And definitely not Fflur.

Fflur knew the instant she returned that night that Holly was different. She saw it in the way the candles flickered when Holly walked past, and felt the change in the air around her. Holly knew as if Fflur spoke it aloud; she was jealous. Poppy was not surprised. Apparently she had seen it happen already.

Rhys drove her to a jeweler who set the emerald in a beautiful band of Welsh gold and diamonds. The jeweler was shocked at the sight of the gem he'd sold Rhys the day before. When Rhys bought it, the emerald was flawless. The jeweler found what appeared to be a red crack along the side of the gem. "Don't worry about it, it's fine," Rhys assured him. The jeweler wanted to test the stone, but Rhys refused.

He placed it on her right hand lovingly and kissed her lips. Holly knew this was not the time for proposals, but she knew that Rhys thought of marriage and babies as he placed it on her finger.

She saw the ring out of the corner of her eye as she stared into the snake's eyes. It waited on her. With a movement of her head she sent it away.

She waved her hand over the place where her grandmother's ashes were buried and the lilies multiplied as if she pulled them out of the ground with her hand. She wanted more, but decided this would be enough.

Every step she took caused dandelions and purple dead-nettles to erupt from the earth. She opened the door to the kitchen and Poppy was already there making breakfast.

"Good morning," Poppy said reverently in Welsh. It sounded even more beautiful now.

"Good morning, Pabi," she grinned excitedly.

"I can tell you're ready," Poppy said proudly.

Lily invaded the kitchen just then, goading her mother to cook faster. "I didn't sleep at all last night. All I can think of is tonight, and how I will finally be one of you." Lily was not jealous that Holly was younger and had her powers longer. She was truly excited to finally be initiated.

Poppy kissed Lily's cheek, and patted her hair. "It's going to be a wonderful night." They ate breakfast as a family, and after they helped Poppy clean up they all three headed downstairs to the prep room. Holly hadn't been downstairs since Rhys gave her the emerald, and she could tell the difference immediately. The items in the room each vibrated at their own frequency, and she felt every one.

She touched the books and immediately felt their history, including which druidess had owned the book and which had read it. The thick black iron cauldron in the middle of the prep room vibrated at a lower frequency, and echoed in her chest. She touched it also, and felt a link to Ceridwen herself.

The items that caught her attention and held it were the five diamonds, each at least three carats, on a shelf to her right. She had been told by Lily the black diamond had represented the air, the green diamond represented the earth, the blue diamond represented water, and the red fire. The white diamond represented the spirit, pure white light mixed with all the colors to show the differences in each person.

But they held a deeper meaning to her now. They were she and Rhys. They were the parts of each of them that connected to the other, that brought them together. She wanted to take them in her hands and hold them to her heart but she controlled herself.

Her attention turned to the lituus, the auger's wand. She knew it had been meant for her, but she'd spent so much time trying to find the way to defeat Rose that she'd forgotten about her own place in life. She would study ornithology and ecology, she'd decided as she gazed at the lituus. She would protect the birds that she loved so much.

So much of her life she'd spent hating herself. She hated her mother, and the circumstances of her birth. She'd even secretly hated being different from everyone else. But she realized now that this was where she was meant to be. Fate had brought together she and Rhys, and his family who were also her own. And she also had Poppy and Lily. She was no longer an outsider.

She touched the cloak that had been hers since she was 10. She missed her grandmother who had handmade it just for her as Poppy had made Lily's. She wondered why Lily had hid so much from her, but even that didn't matter any more.

Holly remembered her own fascination with everything in the basement as she watched Lily touch and read the spines of the ancient books. Her mother told her the stories behind the items, and Holly took a seat to watch. She glanced down at her watch to find it was almost noon. She and Rhys had a date that afternoon. They were having a picnic by Coonskin Lake where she loved to sit by the water and feed the ducks when she was little.

"I'm going to head out," Holly said enthusiastically. "We're meeting back here for dinner, right?"

Poppy nodded. "Would you like to invite your alchemists?"

Holly laughed. She would like to invite them, but she didn't think this was the right evening. "Tomorrow night," Holly agreed, as she hoped they all made it through the Equinox.

Holly picked Rhys up in her electric car and drove him to the lake. She had no idea how he separated himself from Eira, who seemed to think they needed a chaperone everywhere they went. But he did, and they drove together in silence. They stopped to get food at a sandwich shop near the lake, and Rhys loaded up a bag with candy and chips and sugary drinks and popcorn, as well as sandwiches.

They sat at the lake and watched the ducks eating the popcorn as they ate their lunch. He'd been very quiet the entire time, and she was beginning to think something was wrong. Was he breaking up with her? Was he going to abandon their plan for the evening? Was he going back to Wales without her?

"Don't ever think that," he sighed. She wondered again if he could read her mind, or if he just got lucky. "There is another possibility." He pulled a ring out of his pocket and showed it to her.

It was the most beautiful light blue diamond she'd ever seen. And the stones surrounding it were violet and light blue. It reminded her of his eyes. "The emerald was your energy. This one is to represent my energy. I'm giving it to you, if you'll have it. Marry me, Celyn?"

She sat speechless, staring at the beautiful ring. For all of her psychic powers, she didn't see this coming at all.

"I know you're young. And I know today is a big day, trust me. But I want you to know, no matter what happens tonight, and no matter what happens in our future, I will be with you always." He took her hand and placed the ring on her left hand. Tears poured down her cheeks as he kissed her gently. She saw their future in that one moment, and she cried happy tears as she nodded.

"We don't have to do anything right now," he hurriedly explained. "We have all the time in the world." His eyes were sweet pools of blue emotion as he touched her hair. "I want you to consider, though, coming to Wales and going to college."

She laughed at his hesitant suggestion. "Lily already invited me," she said as she touched his hand and pulled it to her lips. "I said yes."

"Oh, thank God," he sighed. His other hand tightened around her hair. "We will do this on your timetable. Whenever you're ready we'll set a date." Her lip quivered as she felt like she was drowning in his emotion. "I will wait forever if I have to. But I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

She nodded and kissed him quickly, and they held hands as they watched the sun move across the sky. Soon the empty moon would arrive.

The mood at the dinner table was lively as Poppy and Lily admired her ring. "Did you feel different when you put it on? Any more super powers hidden away in that ring?"

"Just love," Holly said dramatically. Even to her it sounded corny, and all the women laughed. Except for Fflur, who sulked.

"Perhaps someone else in the room should remember falling in love with a handsome alchemist," Poppy said pointedly, and took a sip of wine.

"I didn't fall in love with him," she countered. But her bright green eyes sparkled as she thought of Angwyn. And she stared at the ring Holly wore on her finger. "Maybe a little."

Poppy smiled brightly at her admission. "Have you seen him yet? He's been here for days."

Fflur tried to hide the grin that touched her lips, but they all laughed again. "Stop, please," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not a love struck young girl," she said pointedly and looked toward Holly.

"But you were once," Holly persisted.

"I was never love struck," Fflur growled. But she inhaled and smiled, the first smile Holly had seen from Fflur. It was as brilliant as Holly's, her entire face lit up and her eyes sparkled and her pale white cheeks blushed a red as bright as her hair.

"So why are you upset," Lily asked.

"He hasn't given me a ring in 90 years," Fflur huffed.

"You were gone for nearly that long," Poppy reminded her.

"That doesn't matter," she resisted. "He should have done it by now."

They continued to tease Fflur until 9 pm, when the moon was high in the sky.

"It's time," Fflur insisted. The mood became somber and they all grabbed their cloaks in varying shades of green and climbed into Holly's car. They all knew where Rose and Ivy would be. And they'd informed the Warlows so they could meet them as well.

The ritual generally started around 11 pm and would last through to midnight. The excitement in the car was a chemical reaction Holly could smell inside all three women. Only Poppy's was laced with apprehension. She was still genuinely afraid of Rose.

She wondered again for the thousandth time if she should have called Lily to America. But she knew deep in her heart whether Rose was taken care of or not Holly would need a partner for the ritual. She was now the strongest and the leader of the clan, whether Fflur wanted to admit it or not.

Holly knew all that went on inside Poppy's mind. But she wasn't deterred. And neither was Fflur. She was ready for a change in her life. She'd been in exile for too long. She was ready to live the rest of her life, and who knew how long that would last. She wouldn't die of disease or old age, but a catastrophic event or accident could possibly kill her. She wouldn't live forever, she was sure.

And Lily was the most excited of all and had no fear. She had faith that the women in the car with her were so powerful they could do anything. She had never been in the same room with Rose and felt the evil all around her.

They drove to a small rural area, far away from any houses but still near a backwater of the Kanawha River. The place met the requirements of the ritual: water, solitude, and nature. A bonfire burned in the distance, and Holly parked her car near Rose's so they could approach by foot. Rose had not begun the ritual.

Chapter Twenty

Holly walked into the light first, and Rose's surprised expression was a treat for Holly. The hood of her light green robe hid her face, but Rose knew who she was when she saw her approach in the light of the fire.

"What are you doing here," She hissed. "You will not interrupt us. There's no place for you here. You should leave."

Holly felt the presence of the alchemists, and inhaled deeply. Even standing at a distance she could smell the hate and fear permeating Rose's body.

"We won't let your evil thrive here, Rose," Holly said confidently. "Lily let it go on long enough. We're here to stop it."

"We? It looks like you're alone, Holly," Rose laughed maniacally. Holly didn't have to turn around to see the three green robed women walk up behind her. They formed a semi-circle around Holly, and slowly pulled back the hoods of their capes.

"Fflur?" Even in the open space with the fire between them Holly could smell Rose's emotions change to pure terror. "Poppy," she gasped.

"You're finished here, Rose," Fflur stated confidently.

Rose touched Ivy's arm and pointed at Lily, indicating that Ivy attack the younger, inexperienced woman. She raised her hands to the sky, but Poppy quickly moved in front of Lily and waved at the fire. Its flames flew at Ivy, but she blew on it and drove it away from her.

A tree several yards away caught fire, which grabbed Holly's attention. They could not cause a forest fire. Holly lifted her hands and caused a storm to form. The rumble of thunder in the distance did not deter any of the women.

Ivy stood her ground with Poppy. The older woman's magic was too pure to counter Ivy's, and she began to weaken.

Rose and Fflur were locked in a power struggle of their own. Just as Fflur thought Rose would back down the rain came, and it amplified Rose's powers somehow. Fflur fell to one knee. "Warlow," Holly screamed out as Rose turned her attention to Lily.

Holly held up her right hand to try to block Rose's electrical pulses, but Holly could do nothing as her powers were in use. Rhys walked up behind Lily and Poppy, and Angwyn stood beside Fflur.

"Alchemists," Rose screamed out, and clenched her hands above her head. Holly felt the air around her freeze, and noted that the breath around the Warlow's condensed. She was trying to freeze them from the inside out. Fflur stood just then, causing Rose to return her attention to her.

"Now," Eira yelled, a burst of icy air escaping her mouth. Rhys pushed the ruby into Lily's hand and covered it with one of Poppy's. Angwyn wrapped the dragon pendant around Fflur's hand.

"No," Fflur screamed out, but Eira, who stood beside Holly, pulled out Angwyn's stone and held it high over her head. Holly had expected the violet electricity to flow through Eira and multiply around Rhys and Angwyn and shoot straight through her, but it did not. The rings on her hands both hummed as they absorbed the power of the stone. Purple sparks shot out of her hands, but she didn't feel it. And as she faced Rose and Ivy it was conducted straight at them.

She closed her hands and pulled the power inside her body. Her skin glowed violet as she looked at Eira. Everyone around her gasped in fear as her voice vibrated and echoed with the power. "Stop, Eira," she stated, and Eira put the stone back into the bag.

It took several seconds for Rose to recover from the shock. Holly turned toward her mother. She focused all of her power toward Rose. She concentrated on the part of the brain that held Rose's power, and the violet light inside her shot out of her and toward her mother. Rose was encompassed in a violet bubble.

Rose's scream was painful to hear. Lily tried to cover her ears but Poppy held tight to her hand. She wrapped her body around her daughter to protect her. Angwyn held Fflur tight as well. Rhys stood back and watched the love of his life as the 7th Ray flowed through her and into her mother. Fear crept up his spine and he shook, but he did not turn away.

Rose fell to her knees and Holly turned her hands toward the sky, spending the rest of the power into the atmosphere. It mixed with the lightening she'd brought earlier, and turned the empty moon and clouds a pure violet.

The rain came down harder, and for several moments they thought it would turn into a deluge. Until Holly turned to see the fire in the trees near them was out, and she lowered her hands. The rain stopped as fast as it started, and the clouds cleared immediately.

Ivy ran to Rose, holding her mother as she sobbed. "Will she be okay?" Eira's voice was full of awe, not fear. Holly turned to her, and her eyes changed from violet to blue to green.

"What'd you do to my engagement ring?" Holly tried to laugh, but she was breathless.

"I tweaked it," Eira admitted, and moved toward her as Holly collapsed to her knees.

"Oh God, Celyn," Rhys cried out, and ran to her.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," Holly's normally tiny voice was strong and full. "I promise I'm fine."

Rhys wrapped her in his arms and held her for several minutes, until Holly's breathing calmed down.

"It's time," Poppy said as she bent down to help Holly up. Lily's eyes were wide as she gazed at Holly.

She smiled weakly at her cousin. "It's never this exciting," Holly joked.

Lily touched her cheek and shook her head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Holly assured everyone. To prove it she cupped her hands and brought a fire into the pit where Rose had built hers. "Shall we proceed?"

Fflur took Holly's hand, and Poppy proudly took Lily's. The ritual began.

"Earth Mother, Sky Father, we wish to worship you," Fflur's clear voice said loudly, and Poppy spoke the same words beside Holly.

Holly had never done the ritual in front of an audience, and was sure that an alchemist had never witnessed one, much less three. But she didn't feel shy, she felt strong. She felt love. And most of all, as she stared at her mother who cried as she watched, she felt free.

Ivy silently escorted her mother to her car before the ritual ended. Rhys and Angwyn watched intently as their women created magic all around them. And Poppy happily nodded to encourage her daughter with the words spoken by druidesses since time began. And Eira took notes in her own leather bound notebook, this perhaps being the last time she would experience the power of the fabled 7th Ray.

Epilogue

Five years later, on the Vernal Equinox, Holly sat beside Coonskin Lake with her husband. Rhys sighed contentedly as he held his wife's hand. They watched as Lily chased after their rambunctious three year old son, who was on a sugar high from his birthday cake.

"Little Rhys, come here," Lily called out as she chased after him, but he merely giggled and petted the ducks who came running toward him. Wherever he walked dandelions crept out of the ground.

None of the women of the family, not even Fflur, was disappointed when Holly had a boy who looked more like his father every day. Holly knew he would be an alchemist like his father, but she also noted that he had a keen control over his environment. "He could be a druid if he wanted," Holly informed Rhys. "And an alchemist."

"If you say so," Rhys laughed.

Poppy brought six month old Ceridwen to her mother just then. "She's hungry," Poppy said gently. Rhys kissed his wife and his daughter, whose eyes were unmistakably green and hair was as red as her mother's.

Fflur and Angwyn held hands and sat on a bench nearby, enjoying each other as they watched the younger generations. Angwyn had finally bought her a diamond, and they married not long after Holly and Rhys. "I promise the diamond is only a diamond," Angwyn stated, but he winked at Holly when he said it. Holly rolled her eyes.

Eira sat under a covered picnic area and wrote in her notebook. Holly pulled out a blanket and spread it over her shoulder to nurse her daughter. "What are you working on this time," Holly wondered as she watched her sister-in-law.

"Power source," she smiled back and gazed lovingly at her niece's hand as she grasped her mother's shirt.

"Does it have anything to do with blue diamonds," Holly teased. Eira blushed and shook her head.

Fflur had moved into her daughter's house with Angwyn. Holly agreed it was easier than trying to ship their treasures across the ocean again.

Holly and Rhys bought a house beside Poppy and Lily, and they attended college together. Holly had plans to create a bird habitat on Anglesey Island. Lily received her veterinary degree. Eira helped her father solve the pollution issue with his chemical plants.

Every Equinox they returned to Charleston to perform the ritual in Fflur's back yard, except the two times Holly was in labor. And every Solstice Fflur and Angwyn returned to Anglesey.

Eira created three new immortality potions, and presented one to both Holly and Rhys on their wedding day. And although Eira took hers, Holly and Rhys tucked theirs away in the basement lab beside Angwyn's stone and cauldron. They had all the time in the world to decide.


End file.
